DARE
by MadSoullessQueen
Summary: God Serena is dramatic and mysterious, when he can't find an acceptable date to an event, Makarov shows him the perfect lady. Little did he know. Lucy would both calm and inflame his madness.
1. Breakfast

I don't own Fairy Tail.

* * *

_One Year before the incident…._

* * *

"No…" he tossed another young woman's picture across the room, with little more than a glance.

Another picture in his hand he looked at it, the woman was smiling with bright blue eyes, but her face and clothing was plain, "not unique enough," he said as he tossed it towards the stack on the wooden floor. He picked up another photo and scrunched his nose, this woman looked boring her lips thin and expression too neutral to be normal, "again, no…"

It was hopeless he had asked for the picture and a quick summary of every eligible female mage in Fiore and not even one of them was to his liking. They were either too old, too young, too tall, too low powered, or simply too boring. As the pile on his desk became the smaller, God Serena was starting to feel as if his assistant was incompetent or that there simply was no one worth taking to the Yuletide Ball.

If it wasn't for the fact his true boss had ordered him to start playing nice with the Wizards Saints, he would have blown off the event, again. These events were droll with no real chance for pizzazz, just formalities and boredom. Yet, appearances must be maintained.

"_You idiot, just pick one to have fun with,_" one of the dragons whispered into his head.

"_When was the last time we got laid?_" another one answered.

A mental snort, "_too damn long, pretty boy is finicky, I'm a simple dragon find a cute thing, insert dick._"

"_You are all idiots, why can't we have a guy?_" a female voice whispered with a bit of annoyance.

"Shut up!" he screamed as the souls started chatting. He glanced at the black metal clock over the fireplace, it was too early in the morning to deal with this. What God Serena wouldn't give just to enjoy the power of the lacrimas without the side effects.

What no one told you before a lacrima was implanted was that they carried the personalities, memories and essence of the dragon that created the crystal. The stronger the lacrima, the stronger the voice, and he had eight ancient ones in his body. On rare occasion he almost envied those slayers that only had to deal with one and usually a weaker one than what he had. Of course, two of his had certain unique demands, death and blood, to appease them he would randomly need to kill. Luckily no one misses a random dark guild or a small gathering of Vulcans. Soon the two sleeping dragons would need their kills but not yet.

The dragons kept chatting and he was ready to pull his hair when a knock at the door interrupted. "Enter and mind the mess!" he called out. As the door opened the choir of dragons shut their pie holes, it was part of the deal, they could converse with him and each other but only if he was alone. No one needed to know that God Serena might be losing his mind. Speaking of which, he would need to take his medication soon, his daily little D.A.R.E.

"This isn't nothing, you should see my desk back at Fairy Tail," the short one said as he entered. God Serena almost rolled his eyes at his fellow Wizard Saint. The ancient man was uninteresting on a good day and had all the personality of a rice cracker on a typical day. That was his assessment of the peculiar elder who had more wrinkles on his face than manners. Though he remembered to play nice, because he was under orders.

"I'll have my assistant clean this up. How can I help you?" he answered with a flourished bow.

"Drop the drama," Makarov rolled his eyes and God Serena blinked before chuckling. He noticed that Makarov had an oversized envelope in his knobby hands, and he arched a thick brow. Makarov flashed him an impish grin, "now before I hand this to you, I'll let you know right now, pluck your brows and get a better hairstyle or she will do it for you."

God Serena's eye twitched and his top lip pulled back in a fraction of a second, he dropped the annoyed look on his handsome features. He switched to something jovial and chuckled, "there is nothing wrong with my hair, it is fabulous!"

The shorter man let out a grunt, "no it's not, unless you want to be one of those girls that does cosplay. Now, I know you're struggling for a date for the Yuletide Ball and I got one for you."

"But…" he snapped his fingers, "on the condition I pluck my brows and change my hair. Tell me Shortness, how can you be certain she'll be good enough?"

Makarov said nothing but just smiled and drummed his fingers on the envelope. He was too nonchalant, that meant he had stumbled over someone rare and wondrous. Someone he was hiding from the world, had to be one of his guild children. Everyone knew that you never tested Makarov when it came to his guild, the Wizard Saint would easily turn into a titan and crush anyone who thought ill of his guild. Even God Serena gave him a bit of room when he was in the "thou does not fuck with my kids" mood.

The clock ticked another minute and the curiosity was eating the dragon slayer. He wanted that envelope, he wanted to know what had his fellow Wizard Saint so certain of this person and he wanted to know all of that now. He pursed his lips and let out an overly dramatic sigh, "fine, I'll fix those things."

Makarov smiled and handed him the yellow envelope, he wasted no time in ripping it open. As he pulled out the picture and the little one-page file he felt his jaw open. The picture in his hand was tasteful, a beautiful blonde sunning herself beside a pool. The white bikini was not leaving much to the imagination, from those beautiful breasts, legs that went on for miles and such a sweet tiny waist. Her face was heart shaped with a pert nose, large chocolate eyes and sensual lips wrapped around a straw. It had the dragon slayer thinking of substituting that straw for something else she could suck on. Instead of gawking for too long he flashed a grin at Makarov, "oh! You've been hiding something very pretty."

"She's a Celestial Summoner, most amount of Zodiac keys for one summoner in over three hundred years," he said with a voice full of pride.

"Very nice, how's her conversational skills?" he asked as he tried to go through the one-page file. The writing was barely legible and was that a ketchup stain in the middle of it? After a second of trying to figure out what some of the shaky scrawl was, he gave up.

"Good, I think, I like her skirts," the old man said as his face turned red. God Serena shook his head, of course the old man wouldn't know, everyone knew he was quite the pervert. Then again looking at a little specimen like Lucy here and he'd have a hard time remembering to converse with her.

He set the file on the desk, on top of the smaller pile of candidates. "Okay, now why hand her off to me?"

"You need a date and later I'll most likely need a favor," Makarov said.

"Well played," he clapped lightly in appreciation, "I do like your style, on occasion."

"Kid, you got a lot to learn about style," he grunted, "figured you should meet her before the ball. Tomorrow morning come to the Hotel Excelsior for breakfast. She'll be waiting for you in the main lobby." Makarov exited the room before the dragon slayer could even accept. Not that he was going to decline and a premeeting made sense. Though he had to wonder, what kind of favor would Makarov ask for in the future? Why was he helping him?

He smiled a little, if Makarov thought he could run a game or hand him a spy, the old man needed a lessen in chess. God Serena could handle this, he was certain after a few minutes of talking he could figure out what was going on. No one was ever helpful for the sake of being helpful and that favor later could put him at odds with his true allegiance. Though odds were Makarov would just have him vote to save his guild from punishment, again. Then again, he was most likely over thinking this, his paranoia taking his toll and he looked around the room, making sure he was alone as he reached into the slim desk drawer and pulled out his plastic medication container.

After swallowing the four different pills, God Serena sat back in his dark leather chair and stared at the picture of the little Celestial mage. The crackling of the fire place and his own soft breaths, the only sound in the room as he memorized every detail of her. His finger traced down her leg and he noticed just how quiet everything was. Not even his dragons made a noise and that was highly suspect.

_What kind of power do you really have, Lucy Heartfilia?_

* * *

Lucy paced around the nice modern décor hotel suite. She nibbled her bottom lip as her bare feet moved over plush beige carpeting. Out of everything she would ever agree to, going out on a date with a Wizard Saint was not something she ever considered. Certainly, she would never have guessed that this would be a topic that Gramps would want to discuss with her when he called her into his office a few days ago.

To an extent Lucy was happy he chose her, until he gave out his long list of reasons why he chose her. Erza didn't have the social skills for this kind of seduction. Mira Jane was usually too busy thinking about babies to keep her head on straight, also the fact that she was in a serious relationship with Cana. Levy was too innocent and so this wasn't something she would ever in a million years be comfortable with. Evergreen was just a straight up nope, her ego would get in the way. After all that he chose her because of her upbringing, education, and damn nice legs. Lucy almost smacked him but when he said five-star hotel, designer clothes and he'd pay her rent for three months, she said yes.

She spun on the ball of her foot and started walking to the other side of the suite, her leg grazing the glass and steel coffee table. Lucy looked at the small landscape painting on the far wall and fixed her gaze to the pale sunset scene. All her thoughts a jumbled mess, especially as she considered what she read in the file for God Serena. That name had her rolling her eyes, just how insane or full of themselves would someone need to be to call themselves God?

He was also over the top in his appearance and her first comment was that he looked like he had bunny ears and needed to learn a thing or two about eye brow shaping. Serena (she'd be damned if she called him God) was dramatic with heavy charisma and many of his powers were listed as "unknown". In fact, there wasn't much on the mage, only that he was possibly the strongest mage in all of Fiore, a power level so high he was allowed to be a Wizard Saint so the older Saints could watch him.

Lucy got near the wall and started to spin around for her next lap when there was a knock at the door. She side-stepped and peeked through the peep hole, waving at her with a grin on his face was Gramps. She unhooked the door chain and twisted the gold knob to allow him in.

"Tomorrow morning, breakfast with him," he said as he walked into the suite. Lucy watched as he walked over to the fake globe mini bar and opened it up. She pinched her forehead, relocked the door and went over for the plush teal couch and plopped down into it.

"If he doesn't like me?" she asked as she put her elbows on her bare knees and leaned forward. Gramps was dumping ice into a rocks glass and picked up a bottle of a whiskey. He sniffed it before dumping it into the class, just enough to cover the ice.

He turned around, his lips were pursed, and his brows knit, making the wrinkles on his face pronounced. Gramps shambled over to her and held out the glass, Lucy took it and chimed it against his. He took a seat on the couch and patted her leg. "Just be you, for him he needs something exotic that he can't predict and can run rings around him. He's just a show pony, nothing you haven't handled."

Lucy leaned back against the beige and gold throw pillows as she sipped her drink. The sun was shining through light gauzy curtains and beyond the balcony doors was a small above ground hot tub. Later she'd go enjoy it under the moonlight and just relax a bit. Least if anything Gramps was not sparing any expenses on this trip and she appreciated it.

"Why am I doing this?" she asked.

"I need to bank favors with other Wizard Saints and so far, I don't have one on the books from God Serena," he replied as he loudly sipped his drink and then smacked his lips.

Lucy shook her head, "I'm not stupid."

"Never said you were, just have a good time. That is all I can say."

Things clicked into place for Lucy, if the file was correct, they didn't know all his powers. If mind reading was one of them, he would be on to them. So, it made sense that this was as much information he could say out loud and it would be up to Lucy to figure out the rest of the details. It was the only thing that made sense, least she hoped it was more than just a rent-a-date evening. "Okay Gramps."

Gramps jumped off the couch and set his glass, only half finished, on the coffee table. "Gotta go, you know what you're doing. Just take care of yourself. See you at the ball." He patted her knee and Lucy almost smacked his hand when he squeezed it, but the smaller man was already half way to the door.

She shook her head and chuckled as she enjoyed the drink and started to mentally prepare for having breakfast with the unusual Wizard Saint. Till then she had a hot tub she wanted to get to know and apparently an extra glass of whiskey to finish, at some point.

* * *

Lucy adjusted the bow on her dress, making sure it was tight so she wouldn't have a wardrobe malfunction during breakfast. The pale blue satin halter dress was simple and a bit daring with its combination of cleavage and shortness. She hoped it would keep his attention, which might be accommodating to someone so flourished. After a little lip gloss and getting her pink gladiator sandals on, Lucy grabbed her small purse and headed to the lobby.

The Hotel Excelsior was one of the top hotels in Era, the five-star rating barely did the modern and beautiful hotel justice. Everything from the actual antique vases to the hand laid mosaic tiles added to its splendor. Even the hallways were a feast for the eyes with many beautiful original pieces of artwork and soft lighting. The lobby gave the barest hint at its true opulence from the white marble fountain, expensive Sevenese white leather chairs and the large royal oak hand carved front desk. Lucy took a seat near the fountain and watched the glass doors, waiting for Serena to show up.

She leaned back and looked up at the crystal chandelier, watching the prisms dance all over the smooth white ceiling. _How much longer is he going to be? _

"Excuse me, are you Lucy?" a voice called out, breaking her thoughts.

She looked ahead, noticing the finely dressed man who was smiling at her. He looked completely different than his Wizard Saint portrait and Lucy tried to school her expressions, otherwise her jaw would be down at her knees. His orange blonde hair was not situated like bunny ears, instead it was pulled back in a low pony tail with wisps of hair framing his face. His brows were sculpted and no longer looking like two furry caterpillars plastered above blue eyes. He wore a white silk shirt and a pair of navy dress pants, overall, he looked very down to Earth Land and not what Lucy was expecting.

"Yes," she said as she stood up and offered him her hand.

He took it and in a movement that should not have been so over the top pressed a kiss to her knuckles. "God Serena, Wizard Saint, one of the Four Gods of Ishagr and," his eyes met hers, "your date for breakfast."

Lucy pulled her hand back and gave him a smile, "are you always so…"

"Exciting? Dramatic? Wonderful?" he added with elation as he stepped towards her and held out his arm. Lucy was leery but in the interest of being polite she took it, he placed a warm hand over hers.

"Over the top," she said, and he tilted his head and looked at her as if she had grown a second head.

It was an awkward couple of seconds but then the eccentric man began to laugh. She smiled and played along, while leading him towards on of the hotel's restaurants, Fork and Spoon. Which was their version of a more high-class greasy spoon with the pricing to match but luckily Lucy was not paying.

"Well I believe I have to do whatever it takes to keep up with such a pretty mage," he said his voice smooth and Lucy did appreciate the little compliment. They walked up to the cheery uniform wearing hostess and Lucy gave her name for the reservation. It wasn't a necessity for the reservation, but Lucy wanted to make sure that things went smoothly.

"You're one of _those_ flirts, aren't you?" she teased.

He pressed a hand to his chest, "my lady, I am not just a common flirt. I am an over the top flirt." Serena said the line so confidently Lucy couldn't help but laugh as they were seated at their red and silver plush booth.

The hostess gave them menus and asked if they wanted drinks, Lucy ordered a coffee and a Bellini. "Oh, starting early? Sounds wonderful, though make mine a mimosa, heavy on the champagne." Serena said to the hostess as he leaned back and looked at the brightly colored retro looking menu.

"Are all Wizard Saints insane or is that a you thing?" she questioned as she looked through the healthy section of the menu. Though the big picture of chocolate chip pancakes and bacon was more her speed.

He laughed again, it wasn't dramatic just a quiet chuckle, "you're so strange, Lucy. I could crush you and yet here you are treating me like…"

She looked up over the menu and met his gaze, "you're normal. Well you're not here as an official whatever title you have and just a guy meeting a girl in the hopes of a date."

His eyes went wide as he dropped the menu and clapped. "I love your mettle, no one ever talks to me like that." He lifted his hand and drew this thumb and index finger close, "aren't you even just a little star struck?"

"By the chocolate chip pancakes and bacon, outside of that, not really," she shrugged and decided to go with the unhealthy breakfast. She could hit the hotel's gym later.

Serena sank into the seat, his hand over his forehead as he faked his own death scene. "You wound me," he whispered before he fell over and out of her view. Lucy laughed at his antics, his humor and flair was refreshing.

He sat up, "I heard that laugh."

She was smiling at him, "alright, you're kind of charming and highly funny."

"Thank you, you're kind of charming too."

Their waiter arrived with drinks on the oversized tray, the poor man looked tired as he tried to give them a half-hearted smile. "Thank you and I think we are ready to order," she said smiling at the waiter. They placed their orders and she was impressed he didn't say anything about her food choices. It was kind of nice.

"Lucy, tell me all about you. Every last little dramatic detail," he said as he lifted his champagne flute.

Lucy chimed hers against his, "only if you tell me about yourself, shouldn't be too difficult."

"Oh, I love a good deal!" he said as he sipped his drink. Lucy shook her head and enjoyed the bubbly peach cocktail before setting her glass down.

"Where to start, I was born, joined Fairy Tail and here I am."

Serena shook his head, "I do hope you're a better storyteller than that. Come on dazzle me, darling."

"Left the glitter at home."

"Dazzle me not bedazzle me." They both shared a laugh and Lucy slouched a little, feeling a bit more relaxed around him. There was something fun and captivating about the man and she couldn't put her finger on it. Maybe her agreeing to take this assignment was a wise decision, but only time would tell. First, they had to get through breakfast.

"Alright," she pursed her lips, "I was raised in high society, my parents were Jude and Layla Heartfilia and yes, _that_ Heartfilia."

He quirked a brow and sipped his drink as Lucy started discussing her early years, when her mother was alive, and life was wonderful. She kept talking, even doing impressions of her father, barely stopping as the food arrived for them.

"We should eat, don't want my date choking before I get to dance with her," he said, and she smiled.

"Alright but after this, it's your turn," Lucy added.

"Whatever my lady wants," he made a dramatic sweeping motion with his arms, "I shall give to her."

"How about for now, you throttle it back a little. It's nicer when you're just being normal."

Serena smiled at her and nodded before he dug into his all meat omlette and she finally got a bit of the decadent pancakes before her. They ate in relative silence, even exchanging a bite of each other's food, this was starting to feel more like a date rather than just a meeting and Lucy wasn't certain how she felt about that but for now it was wonderful.

They finished breakfast and Lucy signed off on the receipt to expense it back to the hotel room. Serena looked a bit upset when she refused to let him pay, until she said that Gramps was paying for this, then he was quite excited and asked about another round of drinks. Lucy said they could do that, perhaps sit outside by the faux beach under an umbrella.

He got out of the booth and held his arm for her and Lucy happily took it. They walked out of the restaurant with full bellies and smiles on their content faces, making small talk. She noticed a few women pointing at him and shooting daggers at her with their stares. Lucy pinched her forehead and then resolved to ignore those jealous bitches. Not her fault she was arm and arm with someone so powerful, famous and quirky.

They stopped and Serena looked behind them, "ladies, and I use the term loosely. Mind your manners, you're just jealous that she is so far above you, you cannot compete on this world or any other." Lucy looked up at him and he cupped her cheek before he bent down, "play along."

His hand covered the side of her face as he went in and using an old actor's trick, faked a kiss with Lucy. She could hear the grumbles and the clattering of heels on marble as those women high tailed it away. Lucy looked into his eyes as he gave her a devilish smile.

"I wanted to be an actor when I was a kid," he said and she quirked a brow, it wasn't that hard to believe but still surprising to hear him say it.

"I wanted to be a unicorn," she giggled.

"You are truly a unicorn," he said as he pushed back her hair. Lucy noticed that their faces were still close together and she could almost kiss him for real. She smiled and took a step back, that would be moving a bit too fast for her liking and sleeping with him wasn't part of the agreement. Just the Yuletide Ball.

"Let's go get those drinks," she said as she started walking again. He fell into step with her and took her hand, letting her lead the charismatic man outside.

* * *

The sun was setting, and God Serena had no idea where the time went. He was sitting at the edge of the pool with his shoes off, pants rolled up and dangling his feet into the cool water. Lucy was sitting next to him, sipping her wine as the sky lit up in shades of red, orange and purple. Her head on his shoulder as she kicked through the water, little droplets of water catching the light and sparkling like diamonds.

He missed his time for his medication, but it was alright, he never felt so normal in his life. The dragons had been quiet the entire day, as if they were asleep. They had never been this quiet before and he was grateful to get his mind to himself for a change. Which was good because keeping up with Lucy was taking all his concentration. He should be fine skipping his meds for a day.

"So, then I look down and my skirt is on fire!" she said before she giggled and then hiccupped.

"I knew Fairy Tail was crazy, but this Natsu sounds like king of crazy people." He crossed his eyes and twirled his finger by his ear to make a point, making the petite blonde laugh harder.

"He's a goof but lovable, he's like the best friend and brother all rolled into one." She said with a slight sigh as she set down her drink and looked up at him.

He looked into her beautiful chocolate colored eyes and noticed the bit of blush on her cheeks. He ran his thumb down her soft cheek as she licked her lips. "Lucy, can I kiss you?"

"For real this time?" she chided as one of her arms came around his waist and they turned towards each other.

"Very real," he said before he bent his head and slowly brought his lips to hers. Kissing Lucy was like wonderful, her lips were soft as they molded against his. There was a mental hum as if all his lacrimas had given a collective sigh in the moment. God Serena agreed with the assessment as he carded his fingers through her hair and deepened the kiss.

Lucy was not shy, and her tongue briefly took the lead, spearing into his mouth to sensually move against his. In his entire life he never felt, tasted or experienced such a perfect kiss. Movements in sync, neither truly in the lead or following, just a beautiful harmony that was sending little pulses of electricity through his body. He could only hope she was feeling it the same, which judging by how she fisted his shirt, she had to of been. They pulled apart and both tried to catch a bit of air.

She smiled at him, her lips begging him to kiss her again. And again. And again. To not stop. He kissed her finger tips, "Lucy…"

"Serena, ummm…" she nibbled her bottom lip, "that was wonderful but I'm not a, first date kind of girl."

He understood the meaning, "then, tomorrow can I take you out to dinner? Or take you out every night this week before the ball?"

"I'd like to see you for dinner tomorrow, no clue on the rest of the week."

It was an honest answer, he gave her credit for that. "We can have dinner tonight, since we forgot lunch and drank all day."

"I would but I'm tired, I just want to go wash my face and curl into bed." Lucy let go of him and started to move. God Serena got up and helped her, noting how she was a little wobbly and though it might be funny, he didn't want her to fall into the pool.

"Then, can I walk you back to your room? I promise, I won't come in." She looked up at him and smiled, the tint of red on her cheeks and nose a little brighter. He could admit he was feeling the champagne too but right now it was important that he take care of her. Where that thought came in, he had no idea.

They grabbed their shoes and she signed the bar bill, which he knew he didn't want to see that number. Though it would be highly hilarious to see the look on Makarov's face when he had to pay for this. Lucy took his arm, he enjoyed the way she felt and looked on it. This day should be analyzed later but so far, he didn't sense anything out of her that said she was here solely to spy on him. What if his fellow Wizard Saint was simply being nice?

Well with the promise of a future favor.

His attention was on her and her slowly degrading balance. After they cleared the elegant white lobby, he swept her up in his arms. She let out a kind of happy shocked sound but then nestled quickly in his hold. Her purse and shoes on her stomach as he walked with practiced confidence and much mental concentration. Sleeping it off, sounded like an excellent idea.

Sleeping it off with her, sounded better but he needed to respect her decisions.

"What room?" he asked.

"510, it's a suite." She replied her voice drowsy as her eyes fluttered. He took the stairs, using the extra time to just savor the moment, elevators made things too quick. When they got to the top, the door refused to budge, and he considered ripping it off.

"Put me down, please." God Serena obeyed and promptly held her shoulders, keeping her standing up. He noticed that her skin was very warm and knew she'd be feeling the sun and booze all night. Lucy dug in her little purse and swiped the card, there was a click and she opened the door. He lifted her back into his arms, making her giggle in the process.

He slowed down his walk as they got closer to her room, the sense of dread filling him as he didn't want this time with her done. A harsh breath left him as he saw the golden numbers on the brown door. "We're here."

Lucy nodded and he set her down, she looked up at him from beneath her lashes. "Thank you, Serena. See you tomorrow for dinner."

He took her hand and kissed it, "no, thank you Lucy. Dream of me."

She shook her head, her bangs moving to cover her eyes as she laughed. He was positive he was addicted to her little laugh. "Good night," she swiped her card and opened the door.

As he watched she paused and in an adorable manner blew him a kiss and winked at him. The door promptly closed as he took a step towards it, almost hitting his big toe. "Minx," he muttered and then set about leaving the hotel, after getting his shoes on.

He sat down in one of the cream leather chairs in the hallway and started fixing his pants. _Go back! _One of the lacrimas hissed, it was sudden, and he jumped from the unexpected noise.

_Want that girl, go get her._

_Yesss… she's ours._

_Break the door._

The lacrimas started talking to and over each other. God Serena grabbed his head and tried to drown out the noises, but they would not stop. They got louder and louder, screaming and threatening him if he did not bring Lucy back. He fell forward out of the chair and curled on his side, lightly tapping the side of his head into the carpet.

"Please, stop, we'll see her tomorrow. I promise, just please," he whispered, tears threatening to spill from his eyes.

Another voice added into the mix, this one not a lacrima, it was his own internal self. A piece of him that had splintered and broken when he was a child. The maelstrom of his mind was sending shooting pains behind his eyes and he damned himself for missing his D.A.R.E.

As the cacophony continued, a thought raced through his head. "If Lucy finds us like this, she will never see us again."

It was sudden but now God Serena understood the phrase 'silence is deafening' as every voice quieted. His mind was at rest, enough to where he could overcome the lingering pains of his headache and get himself off the ground. No longer caring about putting on his shoes, he grabbed them and ran for the stairs, using his best speed to flee the hotel and get back to his private office and find his medications.

Tomorrow, he'll see her for dinner, come Hell or high water.

Tomorrow, he'll feel better.

Tomorrow, he'll start a plan to make Lucy his. Forever.

* * *

Little of the inspiration came from an old work of mine, that seriously needed to be cut apart, burned down and re-written. So, for some of my long-time fans, you may notice an overtone or two, as well as all the changes.

Also, big love and thanks to Musicera, she let me use her head canon about the Dragon Lacrima being able to talk to the host and it provided just the right oomph I needed in this story. So major shout out and credit to her for that.


	2. Us

**Hiro Mashima owns Fairy Tail.**

**Now let's see how long till this chapter gets me banned. Enjoy!**

* * *

"Gramps it's been good so far, we've had dinner every night this week." Lucy said as she applied her lip gloss. She was putting on the finishing touches after Cancer had done her hair and makeup. The dress she had on tonight was exquisite and she wondered a bit about how Gramps knew how to pick out a perfect one. The red velvet gown molded to her frame like second skin and showed off just enough of her assets without being too risqué. She hoped Serena would like it.

Tonight, was the Yuletide Ball and despite anything she thought in the beginning she was looking forward to it. The more she got to know the dramatic Wizard Saint the more she liked him. Legitimately liked him. Enough to where she wanted to test the waters with a relationship after the Ball. Lucy stepped out of the light grey marble and gold trimmed bathroom, smoothing down a wayward wrinkle around her hips.

Gramps let out a whistle as he stood there in his formal white and blue Wizard Saint attire. It surprised Lucy that he wasn't in a tuxedo but at the same time it made sense he'd wear the formal outfit. He gave her a smile, "that's good. What is he like?"

Lucy blushed a little as her mind went straight to some of their heated kisses and flirtations. "When he dials it back, he's amazing. Smart, funny and did you know he wanted to be an actor when he was a kid?" She grabbed her white fox fur wrap from the plush chair and draped it over her arm before grabbing her golden scale clutch.

Gramps shook his head and tilted his head, "has he talked about his powers at all?"

She froze mid-movement and looked at him, he looked pensive with his lips pursed and brows knit together. Lucy shook her head, "it hasn't come up in conversation. Is that something you want me to find out?"

"If possible," he walked towards her and grabbed her hand, giving it a gentle reassuring pat, "just be careful."

"I don't think he'd hurt me."

"How do you know?" Asked Gramps as they started heading for the door.

Lucy shrugged, "it's a hunch." She stopped and put a hand on his bald smooth head. "Gramps, what aren't you telling me? If you think he has telepathy, so far he hasn't shown that power." She was certain of that because many times he would ask her what she was thinking. Then she also reminded herself that they were still just learning each other and if the roles reversed, she wouldn't show off such a power right away.

"We know he's dangerous. As you've been with him, I started researching more about his past. If something happens, just run Lucy, run as far, and as a fast as you can." The look in his eyes had Lucy swallowing hard as she gave him a jerky nod.

"I promise," she replied.

"Good, come on brat, let's go cut a rug!" he said, his mood lifting quite a bit as she opened the door and they left her suite.

The trip to the Magic Council Headquarters via taxi was quiet as Gramps kept looking out the window. Lucy wasn't certain if he was just processing information or trying to steel his thoughts against any kind of mental attack. She tried to not take the silence personally, instead opting to focus on having a wonderful night with Serena. She wondered if he would be in the same formal clothing but knowing him, he'd be in something decadent.

As the black taxi approached the newly reconstructed Magic Council Headquarters, she saw Gramps lean forward. "Drop us off here." Lucy was perplexed and not certain if she wanted to walk almost a block in her stiletto heels.

The young driver gave a chipper confirmation and pulled over. Gramps handed him some Jewels and they departed the warm cab. Lucy put her wrap over her shoulders. Though Era didn't usually have snow, the wind still had a chill to it. He took her hand and Lucy leaned over, "Gramps?"

She noticed his eyes went straight for cleavage as he turned red and then looked up at her, she smiled at him. At this point she was used to his perverted moments. "Lucy, something to know. After Tartaros, the Council is considering disbanding Fairy Tail."

Lucy put her hand to her mouth in disbelief before she shook her head, "no. Why? We saved magic. We stopped Mard Geer." _What did I give up Aquarius for?_

"Too much damage and they think Fairy Tail attracts these bigger monsters. I need…" his voice trailed off.

"I'll talk to Serena. It's my home too."

He took her hand with his knobby one and pressed a dry kiss to it. "Sorry Lucy, I know this isn't fair."

"Let's just get through the Ball first, it'll work out." She said with a smile, trying to throw as much warmth and heart behind it as she could muster. It didn't feel like much, but it was what she had. The mismatched pair started walking towards the massive white castle like structure, decorated in lights and poinsettias.

Lucy could feel her heart pound in her chest with every passing step. The crowd before the place was filled with onlookers and press as high-ranking elites and mages from all over Fiore showed up in their finest. Gramps pointed to a side entrance and they slipped through a narrow passage in the hedges towards it. She was grateful to not have the attention.

"There's a powder room to the right, you can freshen up and warm up a little before we hit the main ballroom."

"Thanks Gramps," she said, delighted in his thoughtfulness.

They entered through the side entrance and Lucy looked around the quiet hallway. The inside of the Magic Council Headquarters was not what she expected. The flooring was a beautiful golden stone with brown fissures and no seems between any kind of tile. Ceiling was vaulted with ornate crystal chandeliers evenly spaced down the length. Pieces of art ate up beige walls between floor length windows framed in thick burgundy curtains. She let out a soft whistle as Gramps pointed to the door for the powder room.

Lucy stepped in and looked around the space, going over to the large illuminated mirror on the left wall. She set her wrap on a gold and red chair as she opened her clutch to grab her lipstick. As she looked in the mirror she smiled as her nerves started to ratchet up in preparation for seeing Serena again. As she played with her hair, she gave herself a little wink before grabbing her things and stepping out.

"Alright Gra…" she was cut off when she saw Serena standing next to Gramps.

"Lucy," he said as he walked towards to her with his usual grace. He was not in his Wizard Saint attire but instead in a beautiful blue-black tuxedo. The material had a slight shimmer in the light and molded to his beautiful frame, as only a handcrafted suit would do. His hair was down and slightly waved, as if he came off the beach and straight to the party. The only holiday decoration was a small poinsettia boutonniere with a golden ribbon.

"Serena," she said with a smile, "you look beautiful."

He flashed her a grin and then spun around before clapping his hands in the air, much like Tango dancers do. Lucy laughed as he took her hand and kissed it. "And you're gorgeous."

The world could have lit on fire and the apocalypse could have happened for all Lucy knew as she got lost in his blue eyes. They stepped closer to each other and her heart thundered a little more.

"Ahem," Gramps coughed, and Lucy blinked before she nibbled her lip and gave him a sheepish glance. "Okay, have fun kids. Gotta go spike the punch."

"Misbehave Gramps." Lucy laughed as the old man turned around and gave her the backwards 'L' salute, which she returned.

She felt Serena's arm wrap around her waist as his lips ghosted over the side of her neck. "Do you want to attend an event with a bunch of drunken fools or see my bed?" His voice was husky, almost needy before he lightly licked her neck, tasting her.

She turned and looked at him, "if we do that. How will you show off to everyone just how wonderful you are?"

Serena stood up and grinned at her, "alright, one hour of showing off and then," his gaze turned predatory, "the real performance will begin." He held out his arm and Lucy took it.

"How did you find me?" she asked, and he laughed before pointing to his nose.

"You forget, I'm a dragon slayer."

She felt a bit of blush rise up on her cheeks, "you're right. Despite all our dates this week, I've noticed that you don't really talk about more about yourself or abilities."

"Well, a certain lady," he kissed her cheek, "I am very fond of. Has this habit of laughing at me when I talk about my titles."

"You have to admit it's quite the mouthful. It also doesn't tell me anything really."

"Hmmm, my lady are you trying to get info from me?" he inquired as they came around a corner.

Lucy stopped and put her hand over his, "Serena, I think it's only fitting I know everything."

He arched a brow, "is it?" She stood there as he grinned at her, "you're blushing. Oh, it's cute when it hits your ears."

She playfully smacked him with her golden clutch, "it happens when I'm around someone I like." Serena moved with speed as he cupped her cheeks and planted a kiss on her. Lucy didn't care who was watching as their kiss turned passionate, losing all sense of reality while enjoying his warmth and taste.

Serena pulled back, "I like you too."

"Oh," she chuckled, "I couldn't tell." Before anything else could happen, he swept her up and threw her over his shoulder. Lucy let out a squeal as she looked down at the red and gold holiday carpet runners, that were flying by. His hand was on the back of her thighs and she realized that her fur wrap was dropped in the process. She hoped she would get it back later, luckily her clutch had a handy wrist strap on it, so she had her keys.

"Serena!" she squealed.

"That is my name."

"Put me down. What about the party?"

He stopped, his hand ran up the back of her thigh before patting the curve of her ass. "Change of plans. Apparently, my girlfriend can't tell I like her. This is a tragedy!" Lucy felt him give her hip a soft bite before he shifted his movement and kicked open a door.

He set her down and spun to close the door, Lucy opened her mouth to say something, but she was too slow. Serena slammed the door shut and resumed his kisses upon her before she could even breathe a syllable. As they kissed Lucy started walking backwards as he led her towards what she assumed was the bed.

Serena snapped his fingers and pulled back from her, as she opened her eyes Lucy was stunned. His room was covered in candles and rose petals, adding a romantic glow over the space. The room was large with beautiful pieces of antique wooden furniture and calming blue grey walls. The bed was larger than standard, dressed up in deep blue and with a large white leather headboard. She noticed a small round table with champagne in a black ice bucket and crystal flutes beside it.

"Serena…"

He slid off his jacket as he came closer to her, "all for you. My lady." Serena touched her cheek, "I've wanted you since the first kiss. You know my feelings."

There was more than just hunger in his eyes, beyond desperation it was a look of prayer. Lucy had never seen such a look out of someone, he kissed her hand and put a hand to her waist. She looked up at him, "then, what are we waiting for?"

He flashed her a grin before they embraced, hands running all over each other. She yanked on his bowtie as he pulled on the zipper in the back of her dress. Their lips still managing contact, until he stepped back as she pulled apart his shirt, buttons flying everywhere.

Serena stripped out of the shirt as she pushed down her dress, letting it pool around her feet. "So lovely," he purred as she stood there in her black lace bra, panties and garters.

Lucy admired his chiseled form in the light, the lines of his cut torso inviting her to explore them with her fingers or tongue. For a moment she had to reconsider the idea of calling him God, as the candlelight bounced off his skin accenting all those beautiful details. Serena picked her up and she wrapped her legs around his waist as he carried her towards the center of the bed.

Her back hit the silk cover as he started laying a burning trail of kisses down her neck. Lucy let out a soft sigh as he lightly nipped her collarbone as he reached under her to undo her bra. Once he had it stripped from her, he palmed one of her breasts as his mouth was on the other.

He teased and tasted her, making her eyes flutter as she mewled, and her hips started moving. She could feel how slick she was, as his teeth lightly pinched her nipple, Lucy almost wondered if she could orgasm just from him playing with her breasts. As her breathing became labored, he stopped his torment and started kissing down her body.

"I adore every sound you make, the way you move," he whispered before he bit the spot above her hip bone.

"Oh…" she breathed as he worked towards her weeping core.

Serena teased her over the silk of her panties with his fingers as he kissed her inner thigh. Lucy ran her fingers through his hair, pushing it back and admiring how soft it was. She felt the silk slide before a warm finger began to stroke upon her clit.

Lucy moaned as he continued the slow movements, just enough to make her squirm in total desire but not let her crest. Serena blew over her wet and heated flesh, making her hips jerk up, searching for more.

"Impatient. Are we?"

"G-God yes," she said.

"Hmmm, only because you called my name," he said before he ripped her panties apart and his tongue began to play against her pearl.

He was skilled with his tongue, moving it quickly against her in all kinds of directions. Lucy shook and let go of his hair before she started pulling to fist the comforter beneath her. Serena used his fingers in tempo with his mouth to drive her wild and slowly stretch her out. It had been a while for Lucy, and she started to wonder why she waited till tonight.

Her legs tightened around his head as he kept toying with her, heat coiled low in her belly as the first signs of her orgasm started lighting up her nerve endings. Lucy thrashed her head back and forth against the silk pillows, kicking up rose petals in her movements. Serena hummed against her sensitive folds, the vibrations all it took before she saw bursts of white behind her eyes and she screamed his name.

To Lucy she felt as if she had exploded into a million little pieces and somehow her body figured out how to reform. She was gasping for air as he slowly brought her down with gentle kisses and light grazing of his fingers against her thighs. She felt so sensitive to everything around her, from the temperature changes in the bedding to the little petal that landed on her shoulder and every little touch he gave her.

Serena sat up on his heels and looked at her before he started to undo his suit pants. Lucy licked her lips, waiting with abject curiosity and desire to see him fully naked. "Later, you can lick me anywhere, for now, I need you."

It was quick and Lucy wasn't certain what she saw but his eyes cycled through eight different colors before settling back to his usual blue. He slid off the pants and all but pounced on her before she could even fully look at him. Though judging by what she felt between her legs, he was very well endowed.

He kissed her and she could barely taste herself on his tongue as he slowly rocked against her, coating himself in her juices and traces of his saliva. Lucy touched his face as everything paused and they stared at each other.

"Lucy, this means so much to us," he said.

"Us?" she tried to question but he cut her off with a kiss. The word choice was odd and though Lucy would normally begin analyzing it and all of its meanings, her brain was being shut down by his kiss. One synapse at a time.

Serena tilted his hips back as one of his hands let go of her. It was slow as he started to enter her, and Lucy's eyes went wide at the beautiful burn of her stretching to accommodate him. He broke the kiss and just watched her eyes, she saw him bite his lip as his muscles strained as he controlled himself. One of her legs ran up the back of his thigh, her high heels still on as the heel pushed into his skin, he moaned.

"Shoes," she said.

"I like them, we can remove them later."

The man didn't stop until his pelvis was flush against hers, Lucy took a deep breath and relaxed her body. He placed gentle kisses to her cheek up to her temple and then her forehead. Serena moved as if time did not exist, as if he was committing all of this to memory. Lucy knew she certainly was, he was the first lover to be this considerate and passionate.

They were locked in their own little world, little kisses and heated looks as he held still. Lucy swallowed and tilted her hips, enjoying the fullness inside of her. She expected him to move and instead he kissed her, gifting her the sweetest little torture she ever experienced. For a man who lived to be the very definition of dramatic, he was very different in bed.

"Please," she pleaded.

His eyes never left hers, as he started to finally move, ending her agony of needing more. His movements were precise and controlled with long slow strokes, enough to drive her wild. She almost bet the man adored this kind of torture, making her beg and wither under him. Yet, it heightened the experience, opening her up to new sensations and her body broke out into a light sweat as he moved.

This man was complicated but the way he moved and made love was straight forward. To Lucy it was more than she could ever guess, what he was like when fully naked. She carded her fingers through his wild hair before drawing him closer to her lips.

"Faster," she lifted her head, tilting to the side a little to bite his ear lobe, "my God."

He shuddered as she said the word and he lifted himself up a bit more before his hips started snapping into her. Lucy's back arched as she pressed the back of her head into the pillows, her hands scratched down his chest and he hissed, giving her a violent thrust at the movement. She called out as her body started to tighten and without thinking, she scratched him again.

"F-fuck, yes, Lucy!"

More tingles through her body as she felt like she could spontaneously combust. She locked her ankles behind his back, the heels pressing into the top of his ass as he moved, his perfect rhythm faltering.

"T-together," she whispered as their eyes met again before he crashed his lips against hers. They moved together as she started to tremble, liquid fire shooting through her veins as she shouted her release. As her body tightened around him, he gave her one more thrust before he let go and followed her off that cliff.

Hours? Minutes? Lucy didn't know how long they were at it and she didn't care. The man was such a gift in her life that she hated the fact that she was leaving to go back to Magnolia tomorrow. Lucy shoved the thoughts away as he pulled out of her and looked at her. For right now she was just going to enjoy every last minute she had with him.

_Lucy, this means so much to us._

* * *

_Six months before the incident…_

* * *

God Serena was pacing on the train platform, he was feeling more agitated than normal. These last few months with Lucy had been wonderful until their time apart started to grow a bit more common. He kicked an empty white paper cup towards the edge of the platform as he moved.

Spring in Era was beautiful with the flowering trees all about to hit their blooming season. He was looking forward to this week with her, this was the week he needed to discuss mating. The dragons had their moments but for the most part they were finally at peace with each other and him. If Lucy would be coming to visit but it had been two weeks since he last saw her.

He tried to go see her but was told that she was on a mission and Makarov wouldn't give him the details on it. God Serena used every last shred of his willpower to not attack the short elder and demand answers. Though his problems didn't just stop with that, things were changing, and he had to get Lucy before he got his next set of orders.

So far, he was right where he needed to be and had served his Emperor well, receiving praise for his intelligence gathering. When he would ask questions, he usually received very few responses. All he could do was stay in Era at his post and wait for the time when he needed, then he could leave this behind. He'd have his mate and be at the side of the most powerful nation in Ishgar. God Serena was feeling better about his life.

More people started clustering on the platform, people of all various ages and all of them happy to be reunited with loved ones or headed off on vacation. He watched a few small children run around and play, part of him almost envious of their carefree life. Perhaps one day when Lucy started having his children, he could live vicariously through them. His work would almost never be done but that was his fate.

God Serena paused as the familiar buzz of speakers turning on hit his ears. "Train from Magnolia, now arriving. Please stand back." He let out a sigh of relief as he spun around and almost started dancing in joy.

When he stopped his movement, the world spun a little further to the right. He shook his head, that was odd. His eyes never played tricks on him before, especially not since he started his D.A.R.E. Though as he thought about it, did he take his medication today? Or yesterday? Or the day before? Week before?

His eyes went wide for a moment as he realized that he wasn't as faithful to his medication as he had been. He could not afford a break in front of Lucy but at the same time, he felt completely normal around her. Maybe she was his cure and he wouldn't need the prescription cocktail anymore. That maybe the voices, hallucinations and mood swings have finally been cured when the dragons settled down.

Could it be that Lucy and her love had cured him?

God Serena tilted his head to the side as the large black and red train started pulling into the station. If he was cured, he would never need them again. That had to be it, he was finally getting cured. He felt great. Normal even.

The train let out a long and loud whistle as the train slowed, it brought him out of his thoughts as he started looking around for Lucy. He went back to pacing, his shoes sliding on the brick platform and he was careful to not step on anyone. Especially not the little kids who were holding up "Welcome Home Dady!" signs in bright colors and horrible handwriting.

The doors opened and he stood there on high alert watching for Lucy. So many people filed out, much like the people gathered on the platform all various ages and types. Families hugged and there were plenty of happy cries as lovers were brought back together. So far he didn't see Lucy and became a bit more agitated.

"Lucy! Lucy Heartfilia!" he started calling out, hoping that maybe he just missed her. God Serena began to panic as he didn't see her. This was the right time, the right train, he wrote this down. Didn't he? He fished through his pants pockets and pulled out a scrap of paper. The numbers looked jumbled on it and he closed his eyes and shook his head. When he opened his eyes again the blue little piece of paper made more sense and confirmed that this was her train.

"Lucy!"

"Serena," he heard her voice and spun around. Lucy was as gorgeous as ever in her little khaki skirt, minty green blouse and soft brown leather boots. Her hair was down and beside her was her large purple suitcase.

He ran to her and swept her up in the most passionate and dramatic kiss he could manage. She laughed a little into the kiss as she returned it. The dragons all sighed, and he felt them go back to their contentment states.

God Serena set her down and took her suitcase, "I missed you."

"I missed you too, it was only two weeks. What are you going to do if I get a month-long mission or something?" She asked and he paused for a moment as he could feel the dismay from his dragons. In his mind it felt like a kitten had started scratching at the grey matter, when annoyed they could cause a small level of pain. God Serena pinched his forehead and took in a deep breath, his heart rate increased as his mind thought through all the scenarios of loneliness. Worse, what if she went on one of these missions and died?

He could already see her corpse, warm lips now cold, soft body turned rigid and that sparkle in her eyes was gone. It would be a grey and rainy day, but her funeral would have the brightest flowers as the coffin was open, displaying her for all to see. God Serena could feel tears racing down his cheeks as his chest tightened and things started to spin. The edges of his vision started to darken, much like looking through a tunnel, but the pain was real.

He leaned over the casket and her eyes opened before she grabbed the lapel of his jacket and pulled him towards her. God Serena let out a scream of terror as he tried to get away from the corpse of Lucy, thrashing against her hold and pushing her away.

Lucy screamed, no he was certain that was Lucy's scream and he rubbed his eyes, trying to knock loose the vision. It started to fade, the world around him coming into color and light. God Serena started doing his mental checklist.

_Train station, not graveyard._

_Brick under my feet, not wet grass._

_Lucy… on the ground?_

He crossed to her, looking into her wet eyes as her bottom lip trembled. She feared him, he could see it and smell it. God Serena knelt and tried to get closer to her, but she backed away from him. People stopped and stared at the distressed couple, but he really didn't care. They could all die for all he cared.

The brick was rough against his palms as he slowly crawled towards her, "Lucy, it's okay, I won't hurt you."

"Y-you threw me," she whimpered, and he winced to hear her afraid of him.

"I-I'm sorry, please Lucy I would never hurt you." God Serena tried to keep himself calm, let her know that he was sorry for his actions, but he had no idea he threw her. No, he was battling with a dead Lucy trying to take him to Hell.

Had that happened?

No, it was just a trick of his mind.

He must have spaced out and she touched him, that had to trigger this. "Lucy, please, just…" She tried to back away and he could feel the collective rage inside his mind as this was no longer acceptable. How dare she think of leaving? How dare she cower before him, he said he would never hurt her. Why was this difficult to believe?

He moved at his speed, sweeping her up in his arms as she started to fight him. God Serena tightened his grip and shook her lightly, stilling the Celestial mage, "I'm sorry." He pressed a kiss to her forehead as he cradled her body in his arms.

"So very sorry Lucy, we need to talk. Please help us," he whispered. She nodded at him, though her smile was gone and her face still showing the lingering traces of her tears. "If I set you down, promise not to run?"

"Alright, but I won't go anywhere private with you. Not yet, let's go to that diner you like." Lucy said as he spun around to grab the suitcase. The crowd has dispersed as people went back to their little lives, acting as if they didn't just see a Wizard Saint almost have a meltdown. Then again, he was in normal clothes again and with the changes he made to his hairstyle to appease her, he was certain no one recognized him.

The walk to the diner was a little difficult but with each moment, Lucy was a bit more comfortable around him. She even started smiling along the way as they walked down Capitol Street. Capitol Street was a major thoroughfare in Era, it was a block from the Government Center and littered with cafes, diners, restaurants and small stores. It was always busy during the week as many people ate here, making the short walk from the largest employer in the city. On the weekends it was relatively quiet, only tourists and locals from the outer burbs who did not work in Era came here.

While out with Lucy they found this little diner, The Unoriginal Pancake House (UP for short) and despite the name, they had some very creative pancakes. In general, it was one of those small gems you find, nestled between a convenience store with jacked up prices and bad service and a fine Minstrellian café that served the best coffee in Era. Usually people went to UP for breakfast and then grabbed coffee from the café after.

UP had fantastic food, excellent service and wonderful orange juice but their coffee was horrible. They got to the diner and the freckled ginger haired host greeted them with a smile and happy voice. "Welcome to UP! Two?"

"Yes," God Serena answered as the young man grabbed wrapped up silverware and menus.

"Booth or table?"

"Booth, in the back please."

The host scratched off something on the seating chart on his stand before he started to move, "right this way." They walked through the dining area, old thick wooden tables surrounded by happy guests who ate and talked. The food here always smelt amazing and he liked the strange décor. Their walls were covered in all kinds of art and signs made by fans of the place and photographs of famous people who ate here years ago.

They were seated in the back and God Serena slid into the well-worn faux leather booth. Lucy sat across from him as menus and silverware were spread out. "Jeanie will be your server."

"Thank you," Lucy replied as the host smiled at them before turning to head back to his station. The silence felt awkward as she looked at the menu and God Serena was trying to figure out how to talk to her.

He cleared his throat and opened his mouth to speak as a plump tired looking waitress came over to them. Her smile was fake, not even reaching her eyes as she ran through the specials and took their drink orders. Normally Lucy would have ordered her favorite already but instead she said she wasn't hungry. He noticed how she winced when she shifted in her seat, he must have accidently bruised her bottom when he shoved her.

When the orange juices and waters came to the table, he pulled at the collar of his shirt. "Lucy, what do you know about dragon slayers?"

She sipped her juice and pursed her lips as her brows knit together. "I know Fairy Tail has the most amount of dragon slayers in Fiore. I know they are wild and a little crazy but very powerful."

"The ones in your guild have one lacrima, I have eight. Do you know what that means?" he asked while trying to work up the courage to expose himself to her. How would she understand what he was living with?

She shook her head, blonde hair swaying gently as she fingered the napkin on the table. "What people don't know is that the lacrima, speaks to you. You can hear its voice and sometimes see its memories. So, when your friends go crazy, it's really the dragon. Take that and magnify by a lot. Mine are all ancient and powerful." His voice lowered to a whisper as he talked, he slouched a little in his spot.

"So today when you spaced out?" she asked and by God he loved how her mind worked.

"Yes, I was being flooded with images." It was a bit of a lie, he didn't want to admit that the images came from his own mind and not the dragons. This would be difficult for anyone to grasp and though Lucy was brave and loved him, he dared not risk it. Well he was certain she did, she never said so.

"When I touched you?" she whispered, her eyes looking at him from beneath her lashes, "you lashed out because in your mind you were seeing something else?"

He nodded, "around you the dragons are silent, that means something very important to a slayer." Her brows knit together as she leaned forward and rested her hand in her chin. He continued, "it means they have chosen you as mate. That you are our perfect half."

Lucy frowned, "Serena, that's flattering but…" He put his hands under the table, clasping them to the point of pain, trying whatever he could to not interrupt her. To not force what they wanted on her. Lucy would never play along with that, he knew how important her freedom was to her. "I-I mean, I like you but mating? It's too soon."

God Serena let out a sigh as he ran a shaking hand through his hair. She licked her lips, "I'm not saying never, but maybe give this a little more time. You and your dragons need to give me that."

It wasn't a direct threat, but he understood the implication and his lips turned down as he tried to think of the right things to say. "Lucy, it's painful to be near you without having you. I can try but I can't guarantee how long my patience is."

She reached over the table and he took her hand. Her eyes were kind as her expression softened, "just do your best. You've waited this long."

"I will, but I need you to know that I'm running on borrowed time. You need to be with me to keep them quiet and happy."

"I understand but I do have my guild and mission work and my own place," she said.

God Serena thought it through for a moment, Lucy was a practical girl who loved adventure. Surely, he could give her all of that, wouldn't be difficult, though he had no intention of ever putting her harm's way. "Lucy, move in with me. You can see Council work, travel with me. No more worrying about money or food or burnt clothing."

She let out a stiff chuckle, "if I won't mate you what makes you think I'd up and leave my nakama to move in with you?"

God Serena felt the bile rise in his throat as he leaned back, trying to put a little space between them. It was as if he moved out of the way her words could not touch him. The dragons started to rise, they were not happy, and neither was his own self. Was she rejecting him? How much slower could he move?

"L-Lucy, it's not a commitment and think of all the wonders you could see. The carefree life of adventure and love we could give you."

She pulled back and pinched her forehead, "I'm sorry Serena, but I'm not ready. Maybe I should go home." Lucy got up and started to leave when he sprang up and grabbed her arm. He glared at her as she started to tremble.

"No." He barked the demand, his voice darker than he ever heard it. "Stay."

Lucy's hand came up and she promptly smacked him across the face, it stung. "What is wrong with you? Your eyes, holy fuck."

He pulled back from her and tried to quell his mind, knowing that this wasn't working. "It's the dragons, please Lucy, I don't want to hurt you or force you. Just please be kind to us."

"You sound more like a fucking psychopath than a dragon slayer. If this is life with you…"

He grabbed her and put a hand over her mouth, "do not finish that statement. Do not hurt us. I get one mate in this life, you are it and you are toying with our emotions as if we don't matter. I may be physical and angry at your rejection, but you are playing head games."

The room went quiet as people looked up from their meals to watch. God Serena growled at the room before he grabbed Lucy's suitcase and dragged her out of the diner. She didn't protest him, even if she did, he was significantly stronger than her. They got outside and he took in the semi busy street, this could not look good. He also didn't care, they were a couple having a spat, happened every day.

He was grateful that she was coming along quietly, and he didn't want to use his immense speed to get back to his room at the Magic Council Headquarters. Instead he hailed a taxi, he didn't like moving vehicles, but he fared better in them than most dragon slayers. That was because with the combination of certain powers he could handle the movements.

God Serena could smell the salty tears as they gathered along her lashes, he saw her lip trembling as she looked out the window. He pinched her chin and tried to kiss her, she resisted at first but when he licked her lips, she relented to him. Tears crashed into his lips, her fear was growing as she shivered, it was enough to make him hate himself for his outbursts. It couldn't be helped, she was going to leave him. There had to be a compromise.

As he pulled back, he ran his thumb over her wet cheek, "my last statement was out of line. I'm sorry Lucy, this is just so damn hard."

She took his hands, "I'm sorry, you're right, I can't imagine how hard this is for all of you or what it's doing to your mind."

"You were crying, I did that."

"No, I was crying because I hurt you with my emotional words but Serena," she touched his cheek, "I'm not ready to move in but I think we can compromise. On one condition."

He felt his heart leap into his throat as a calming happiness washed over him. "Breakfast in bed?"

Lucy chuckled, he was relieved to see the light come back into her eyes. "Okay two conditions," she joked as he took her hand and lightly kissed her fingers. "We will make up a schedule for the next few months, barring something drastic we will adhere to it. I think that should appease your dragons. If that goes well, we will have the rest of the conversation."

It wasn't exactly what he and the dragons wanted, but he could tell it was the only option she was going to give him. If it wasn't for that damn guild, she would have just said yes. His back to a corner, God Serena agreed to her condition but in the back of his head he started figuring out the pieces he needed to force together to get rid of the obstacle in his happiness.

How could he disband Fairy Tail?

* * *

_If you haven't guessed, this takes place after Tartaros but Fairy Tail was not disbanded and God Serena did not defect right away. This is just a different version of those events. Why did the Council disband Fairy Tail? Why did God Serena defect suddenly? How the hell is it Mashima builds up a super villain and then fails miserably when it comes to seeing them in action?_

_Anyways, review, fave, follow._

_Next up… The Incident._


	3. Madness takes form

_NOTE: Looking at story structure, this is going to have to go to 4 Chapters otherwise this chapter would have to be like 12k words or more and that's just a little too lopsided for my liking._

Hiro Mashima owns Fairy Tail, all of it. This plot is mine.

* * *

_Two weeks before the incident…_

* * *

God Serena paced around his quiet dim office, the dragons clawing at his mind as he watched his steps carefully. They would not shut up, constantly hissing and whining. His mind had become a battlefield and for what reason? Lucy broke the schedule.

She was sent out on another mission with details so vague God Serena wasn't even certain if she was even in Fiore. Makarov wouldn't say a word to him, instead telling him to mind his own business.

Lucy was his business. He clenched his hand as his lip curled up in a snarl before he expelled a breath and kept watching his black shoes glide over dark wood flooring.

The copper clock above the fireplace ticked and tocked, the sound grating on his ears. Each small click of a second passing by was akin to a shout in his head that it was another second Lucy was not where she was supposed to be. With them.

A loud buzzing echoed around the room and God Serena froze as he ran over to his messy desk and grabbed the communication device. His heart hammered in dread as he held it in his now shaking hand. His anxiety was up high enough to where the negative thoughts in his head felt more real than the reality around him. He saw wood, plaster, paint, metal, and all the elements that made up the items in his office turn black and start to flow downward as ash. The world he saw was dying a bit more, each day that he was left alone with only the dragons and his splintered self for company.

"Hello," he said, noting that his voice was weak.

"God Serena, Gran Doma. Come to the Magic Council Room, I am calling an emergency meeting." Gran Doma's voice was rough and curt, leaving the Wizard Saint no other option but to confirm and disconnect.

He rushed out of the room, accidently pulling on the door hard enough to loosen the brass hinges, leaving it skewed against the frame. It didn't matter as he raced down the marble floored hallways towards the center of the castle like structure. In all his years, there were very few emergency meetings, and this was a first that he was called by communication lacrima for one. Normally everything was scheduled and organized, Wizard Saints only handling what was considered too political or dangerous for a normal mage guild.

God Serena stopped short of the enormous twin doors leading to the Council Chamber. His eyes focused on the carving in the light wood as he straightened his cloak and asked the dragons to silence themselves. When the door became a bit fuzzy and the pain behind his eyes stopped, he rolled his shoulders back and pulled open the large doors. In his usual panache he entered the room and noticed something amiss, Makarov was not here.

"Good, now let's begin." Gran Doma stood in the center of the circular room as God Serena went to his seat along the back wall. He looked over the room seeing his fellow Wizard Saints, not also on the Magic Council, exchanged questioning looks. He hoped this was a legitimate Wizard Saint problem and not just politics, because that would let the dragons blow off a little steam. They needed it. He needed it.

Gran Doma stroked his unnecessarily long beard as he held his ornate staff, the man reminded God Serena of a badly portrayed wizard, from stories and plays long ago. It was a caricature of everything that people assumed of the stuffy Magic Council and a few of his fellow Wizard Saints. They all lacked some serious drama and fashion sense in their lives. Also a few razors.

"The Magic Council has disbanded Fairy Tail and recalled all it's people back to Fiore. At this moment, Makarov Dreyar should be explaining this to his people." The room went dead silent for a second as Gran Doma and Wolfheim exchanged a short nod.

God Serena's eyebrows shot up as he tried to hide his excitement. It had worked! His little plan to sew some dissent and a few well-placed fires had shown just how out of control Fairy Tail was. He had also convinced Wolfheim that the Magic Council needed a rule saying that when discussing Guilds, the Guild Leader should not be allowed to lobby or vote in the matters.

The short green-grey bearded Saint and Councilman had very much approved of the idea. God Serena playing the elder's anger perfectly as he showed him pictures from towns and forests that Fairy Tail had destroyed in the pursuit of work.

Gran Doma tapped his staff into the ground, "because we are now down one guild, the Wizard Saints will have to engage a bit more often until Fairy Tail members have been processed, tried and sent off to new locations."

"Tried?" God Serena asked. That was surprising, why would some of them be on trial?

Draculous Hyberion stood up, he adjusted his black cape and pushed his purple bangs to the side, showing off the blood red cross on his inhumanly high forehead. "Crimes of mass destruction to both civilization and nature. We are targeting Team Natsu specifically. We expect the safe surrender of them within the next two hours."

The dragons in his head went insane and God Serena flinched at the pain as all eight dragons began to roar. He couldn't allow Lucy to be arrested, it could hurt her and then she would forever hate him. She might already because he didn't protect her _precious little guild_. That horrible place whose only design was to cause damage and keep her away from him.

"Wait…" he uttered as his heart rate jacked up and breathing became labored. God Serena wiped his forehead, noticing the sweat droplets glistening in his hand. The pain was overwhelming as the dragons had their say, his own inner voice screaming back at them for silence to protect their mate.

The mages all turned to look at him as he fought to keep a grip on his emotions. It would be so easy to wipe the mages all out. Just let the quiet dragons out. Use their powers. He could eat them all.

This was not the time, he knew that. There were other plans in motion and soon he could destroy all the half wits whom he had to pretend to have interest in. Who he had to play nice with.

"Lucy Heartfilia, she can't be arrested."

Gran Doma stroked his beard and pointed his staff at God Serena, "because she is your lover?" His voice had an acidic tone to it as the old man's eyes hardened, the crow's feet sharpening around the edges.

"Because…" he paused to lick his lips and buy himself a second to think, "she is a Celestial Mage, you would cripple her magic and ruin the keys. That may very well anger the Celestial Spirit King, he has a loyalty to her."

The Wizard Saints all stared at him, their facial expressions a wild mixture of shock and worry. Wolfheim adjusted his thick glasses, "she is part of the team. If we single her out for your personal beliefs, it would be favoritism."

His hand clenched as he glared at the shorter Wizard Saint, "it is not personal beliefs, this is fact! Celestial Mages can lose all their power if arrested. You would be executing her for no reason." God Serena felt his anger rise as power started flowing into him. The Wizard Saints started taking small steps back as he started panting. "We will not allow this! You will hand Lucy over to us!"

Draculos tilted his head as his arm started to come up, God Serena gathered more power. He would destroy them all. They had no idea what lurked under his skin for good reason. One movement, one shot, one wrong word and he would release Death into the room.

The mage adjusted his blue bow tie and cleared his throat. "God Serena, we of the Magic Council cannot play favorites. Why is this so important to you? You are capable of finding a new lover."

He couldn't admit the fact that Lucy was his mate or what that meant. It would be giving them a weapon to use against them. This might impact his Emperor's plans and that would not bode well. God Serena kept his aura around him but slowed the power draw as he closed his blue eyes and took in a deep breath. His heightened senses could detect the small amount of fear in the room, he was the First God of Ishgar and strongest mage in all the continent, after Zeref.

"This has nothing to do with her being a lover." He flicked his hand, acting as if the statement didn't truly matter. His gaze bounced around the room looking at all the faces of the Wizard Saints. "If the Celestial Spirit King thought we were targeting a beloved Celestial mage for no reason, how would he trust his spirits to be here? Those spirits have been abused by other mages, but Lucy is different. She has told me of these things, and I have witnessed the loyalty and power she commands. Imagine if any of you lost your family and powers at the same time?"

The Wizard Saints started rambling to each other, trying to sort the gravity of his words and if it matters. Gran Doma took a few steps, his lips pursed in concentration as he stroked that damn beard. God Serena listened as people questioned what that would mean.

"If the Celestial Spirit King was angry would we lose Celestial mages forever?" Warrod whispered to no one. The tree looking mage was in deep contemplation as he looked down at his thick humanlike hands. God Serena said nothing and waited, trying to look as nonchalant as possible while analyzing how to kill them all as a backup measure.

God Serena looked at the leader in the center of the room, their eyes meeting for a moment in a silent standoff. "Leave," Gran Doma said curtly, "we will discuss. Though God Serena, if we honor your request and let Lucy Heartfilia escape punishment what shall happen to her?"

"As everyone is quick to point out, she's my lover," he shrugged before winking at the Gran Doma, causing the old man to shake his head. The dragon slayer flashed everyone a magnificent grin, "now, choose wisely. I expect excellent news!"

God Serena swept out of the room, as the doors started closing behind him, he heard Draculos whisper, "his madness grows, let us not poke the bear we do not know."

_You have no idea._

* * *

Lucy was tired and sore, the mission to Seven had taken way too long and turned out to be relatively low on the pay, after damages were paid for. The Dark Guild was a nightmare to track down and deal with, they had no issues throwing innocent people and animals in front of her team, throwing off their plans and redirecting magic at the last second. On top of everything, it went longer than she planned, and she needed to get to Serena. They had a weekend planned and she was forced to miss it, first time since they made the schedule that she broke it.

She should be home, taking a shower, and packing to go see Serena who was most likely missing her. Instead what happened was when her team got off the train, Laxus was waiting for them and escorted them to Fairy Tail for an emergency meeting. The lightning slayer wouldn't say anything, only that Gramps called it and he had no fucking clue over what it was about. Lucy had practically chewed off her bottom lip in worry during the walk from the train station to the Guild.

Now she sat at one of the long tables in the Guild, nursing a strawberry milkshake. She was stuck between Gray and Natsu as they both sat in silence each nursing food or drink respectively. The tension in the large open area was heavy, it weighed down her shoulders as she traced her finger down the frosty glass.

"Alright brats," Gramps' voice bounced around and ended the hushed conversations. Lucy turned her head to look over at the end of the packed room. On top of the polished wood bar stood Gramps in a t-shirt, orange hoodie and jeans, his face a little pale.

"Fairy Tail…" he sniffed as a tear raced down his cheek. Natsu grabbed Lucy's hand, startling her. Gramps continued, "has been disbanded by order of the Magic Council." The last few words were difficult to hear as the old man started crying.

The room went dead silent as everyone exchanged looks of panic, worry, dread, loss and shock. That lasted only for a few precious seconds before Cana was the first to shout, "what the ever-living fuck?"

After that the room exploded into questions as Gray and Natsu both got on the wooden table and started screaming. Lucy hugged her middle, trying to not hear any more. She felt soft hands on her shoulders, and she looked up to see Loke standing behind her. His blue tinted glasses glinted in the light as he forced a smile to her, as always, he was in his black suit looking posh and regal.

"It's okay Princess, I'm here," he said before pressing a kiss to the top of her head. Lucy put her elbows on the table and put her face into her hands as the tears started flowing. Loke rubbed her back as the room descended into complete chaos.

As people worked through their emotions and even a few brawls, Gramps yelled for silence. Lucy looked through her fingers, the world blurry for a moment before she said fuck it to her mascara and wiped her eyes. Loke handed her a tiger striped handkerchief and she quietly thanked him as he kept a gentle hold on her. Lucy could feel his sadness, he once called this place home while he was waiting to die. They held hands and she was grateful for his strength as he leaned over.

"I believe you were planning on leaving, so maybe this isn't so bad Princess."

"Yeah… but…" her voice trailed off as she handed him back the silk item. She had talked to Loke many nights about her thoughts and her feelings for Serena. He helped her figure much of this out and helped coax her into being ready to take a chance on her heart. To her it just figured, every time she wanted to do something good for herself, something horrible had to happen. Did it have to happen to her nakama?

"I know." Loke reassured as he gave her bare shoulders a gentle squeeze.

"I said silence brats!" Gramps shouted as he grew twice his size. The room simmered down, even Natsu and Gray quit punching each other as Erza dismissed her sword and Cana stopped chugging her barrel. "Sting and Master Bob will take on who ever wants to join their guilds, no questions asked, no entrance tests. We can have one final party, but tomorrow we lock up the old girl. The guild may be gone but Fairy Tail is forever!" He held his hand up in the backwards 'L' shape. It took a moment before everyone else was standing and returning the salute, even Lucy and Loke.

It was a quiet moment of respect and mourning before Mira got up on the bar and started calling for everyone to have one final hurrah! Gramps and Mira hugged as people rushed to the bar and started shouting drink orders. Lucy smiled as she watched the scene, thinking this was the right way for everyone to say goodbye. With the generous offers from Sabertooth and Blue Pegasus, mages could go anywhere and had new opportunities to stay together.

_Lucy, I need to talk to you, my office._ She blinked as she heard Gramps in her head. That was a first time he had ever used his telepathy on her. Lucy let Loke know she was headed up to his office and told him to go party. Loke gave her a nod and then ran up to the bar to go get himself some free ale.

She made it up the stairs, stopping at the second to the last creaky stair to look down at the boisterous room. Everyone was crying and laughing, toasting each other in fond memories and excitable stories. She saw Gramps and Laxus head over towards the stairs and she arched a brow. Why was Laxus coming with Gramps?

Lucy got to the top of the stairs and let the two men pass by her before heading towards the little office. As she walked through the door, she was surprised to see it so clean. No food, stacks of papers or other things laying around the beautiful space. She took a seat on the green couch and leaned forward, her elbows on her bare knees. Laxus leaned against the desk, his arms crossed over his massive purple silk clad chest as he looked at her. Gramps stood in front of it, his lips pursed under the thick white mustache.

"Lucy, I wanted you to know that God Serena was behind this."

She felt her world tilt as she put her head in her hands and started screaming into her palms. Lucy couldn't think of enough swear words to express everything she was feeling. At the same time, she had to have answers, why? He knew how much she loved Fairy Tail and the deadline was fast approaching and she was ready to move in with him and eventually mate him. He was going to get everything he wanted, why would he do this?

"Blondie, I can't understand your mumblings," Laxus said his voice rough and deep.

Lucy lifted her head up, "w-why? How do you know?"

Gramps let out a breath and walked over to her, he sat down next to her and took one of her hands. Laxus grabbed the yellow tissue box and handed it to her, she plucked out one and blew her nose.

"Wolfheim let me know what was going on. Normally the Magic Council takes the Wizard Saint's opinions into their decision making but that ended, when no Guild Master could take part in any Council decisions that affected their Guild. That meant I couldn't lobby my fellow Wizard Saints to vote for us. When I talked to God Serena about it all he could do was demand to see you." Gramps squeezed her hand, "Wolfy said it was God Serena's idea for the new resolution. Well didn't say it out loud," Gramps grinned and pointed to his head.

Laxus snorted, "of all the powers people forget you have Gramps."

"Well, my boy, I try not to use it but sometimes, it helps."

"So, he called for a fucked-up resolution…" Lucy started when Gramps squeezed her hand and put a knobby finger to her lips.

"He also started showing pictures of destruction post Tartaros and slipping in little things. God Serena wanted to get rid of Fairy Tail and he won. You deserved to know child." Lucy could see the sadness all over the aging guildmaster as he told her. His lips were down, brows knit together, and his posture was more slouched than normal.

"But he knew how much my nakama means to me," Lucy protested, her mind having difficulty accepting that someone she loved could be this cruel.

Laxus walked over and knelt in front of her, she looked at him puzzled by the concern in his face. Laxus never seemed to give a damn about her, unless he was making fun of her or getting drunk and trying to score a booty call. "Lucy, straight talk. He ever mention mating to you?" She nodded and Laxus ran a hand through his blonde hair as he exchanged a glance with Gramps.

"Months ago, we've been waiting," she said.

"You what?" Laxus asked, his voice firm with a soft growl to it.

"Waiting."

"Gods damnit it lady, you fucked this up. Do you have any idea what you've done to that bastard?" The lightning slayer sounded angry with her, chastising her for something she didn't understand.

Gramps held a hand up, "Laxus, calm down. This isn't…"

"The fuck it isn't! Every fucking day she kept playing with that headcase, of course he destroyed us!" Laxus stood up, his body tensed, eyes focused on her as if he was trying to kill her with a glare. Lucy gulped and sank back into the couch. He pointed a finger at her but wouldn't look in her direction. "I have one lacrima and if I didn't go and find my mate, I would be in a world of pain. Imagine having more than one dragon all screaming for a mate. Fuck! We stood in the way of his mate, that's all the damn dragons know." He looked at her and Lucy felt so very tiny in his presence, "we lost our home because you couldn't let him bite you, fuck you Lucy!"

"Laxus, enough!" Gramps jumped off the couch as Laxus stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind him. Lucy could hear the muffled roars from outside the room and she flinched at each word. Lucy started crying again as she hugged a pillow and spilt all her tears and snot on the green satin.

After a while Lucy fell asleep, she had no more energy to cry or even to think. All she knew right now was that she lost Fairy Tail because of the man she loved. In her mind, this was over, and she would never see Serena ever again. He and his dragons could rot in hell.

* * *

_The Start of the Incident_

* * *

"It itches under your skin, doesn't it?" August asked as he scanned the countryside ahead. God Serena regarded the aging man, from the tatters in the bottom of his robes to the guarded expression across his stern face. August tightened his hand around his staff as he lifted it and swept it before him, drawing his eyes towards the illuminated city in the distance.

God Serena sniffed the air and felt a rush of darkness enter his system. He could taste it in the air, all that life, all those useless people in the way of their destination. Behind him was an army, almost a million-man strong with airships and other aspects of military might. Alvarez Empire was on the march and he would get to lead as one of the Spriggan 12. First, they had to get through this little hayseed of a nation called Bosco.

"Grande de Sol, I think they make moving pictures there," he added. August took a side step and leaned in close, his long white hair almost brushing God Serena's cheek. "When was the last time you got to play?"

His head twitched as he moved away from August's presence, "we have orders."

August arched a brow, "think of it as a license for terror. Wars are won on morale, let Fiore be afraid knowing that Alvarez is marching."

_Destroy all of them_, the dragon of death whispered.

_Feast on the blood of the week_, the blood dragon replied.

_A warning, this is what happens when you deny us… Deny you._

God Serena nodded, though uncertain if he was nodding to August or the dragons. It sounded like a fantastic idea! Let out the dragons with unique appetites before they arrived in Fiore. Then he wouldn't need to answer their call and he wouldn't risk Lucy in the process.

Lucy.

_We are done! I hope you are proud of yourself and I never want to see you again!_ Her last words to him over a communication lacrima. She wouldn't even come and see him and when he tried to find her, Zeref gave him orders to report to Alvarez. It was too sudden, he needed to fix this, Lucy was supposed to safe in the Empire while he conquered Ishgar and then defeated Acnologia. She was also supposed to let him mate her and then he would have given her a wedding so opulent, they would need a better word to replace opulence to describe it. He clenched his fists as his top lip curled up, a red haze fell over his eyes as he saw the city in the horizon turn into a pile of ashes.

The sky was almost purple now, the earth beneath his black boots was richer, warmer… Something bubbled up and splashed on his white pants. Red. Blood. The ground was littered with bodies, destroyed, drained. Carcasses under his feet replacing the once soft plains.

Moans. Screams. Panic.

Death. Darkness, the ashes caught in the wind swirled around him as he saw it swirl together. It was Lucy in the sky with her arms open. Calling for him. Needing him to give this to her.

"G-God…" she moaned as he took a step closer to her, holding up his hand. Trying to touch his mate, clean the death from her. His golden Goddess, she should be clean. These people dirtied her!

"Lucy," he breathed as a hand grabbed his shoulder, the fingers dug into him and he felt a small wave of pain flood his body.

Blink.

It was all gone. The sky was blue again, the tall wild grass and flowers were under his feet and in the sky were a few wispy clouds in white. No Lucy. God Serena pinched the bridge of his nose and took in a deep breath. He started patting his pants, thinking he should still have some of his D.A.R.E with him.

Nothing. There was nothing in his pockets and he remembered that he left the medication back at the Magic Council Headquarters. All those unopen bottles of Dethorvian, Entoplixia, Revorcort and Entima, his mental relief cocktail that assisted his mind in processing the world around him. Two were called anti-psychotics, one was a neuroelectric stabilizer and the last was an anti-depressant. God Serena used to live for those pills and their schedule, until Lucy.

He was happiest with her and everything was normal. He felt the best he had ever felt in his life and didn't need the medication or the shrinks anymore. Since she had been gone, he'd been too busy to care. Months since his last dose?

It had to be the stress. Had to be the dragons who were still whispering their desires in his mental ear. That's all, he wasn't really hallucinating. Wasn't breaking down like they warned him. No, he was fine.

Better than fine.

He was God Serena!

"August, I think I'm going to be in movies," he said with a wild grin on his face.

The old man nodded, "you're going to be infamous."

"I hope so. Toodles!" God Serena took off towards the crowded city on the horizon, thousands of useless people who would finally have a purpose in their life. They were going to be sacrificed to God.

The sun was warm on his face as he tore off his cloak, letting it catch in the wind and go off to wherever cloaks floated to. He yanked on his pony tail, letting his hair free to collect the wind and settle as wild as he felt. God Serena ran over the wild fields, the city getting larger as he got close.

First thing he caught was the scent of trash, not just refuse but the people who lived near it. He had heard of Grande de Sol; the city was split in two unequal parts. The larger part for rich and tourists, where yes, they made the moving pictures and the rest of the city where the unwashed went.

Destroying this place of hollow people who were revered for beauty and no substance would be a kindness. End the misery of the poor, no longer having to beg for scraps from the pretty boys and girls. See this entire fake nation collapse under his magic, these poor fools would finally see what real power is. What real beauty looks like.

Perhaps on its ashes he could build a castle for Lucy. She would like that, be a real Queen with a God beside her. He made a note to ask her if she would like a castle and her own nation. They could rebuild little Bosco in a better image… Their image.

God Serena came up to the edge of the poor city and stopped as he started imaging buildings collapse into the ground. They were so flimsy with their cracked plastered walls and ridged thin metal roofs, he bet it wouldn't take much. One push and they would go over just like dominoes, they were that close to each other, barely a walk path between them. Some homes were even stacked on each other with rickety handmade ladders the only way in or out. It was a strange city and it needed to die.

Destroy it all…

He drew in the Etheremo around him, letting it swirl and turn black to settle over his form. God Serena felt his bones and skin stretch as he grew in height to match the power of death he summoned. He wore the foreign and familiar magic as he clapped his hands together and concentrated.

"Quietus Ruination," he whispered as he started walking.

Every step he took the cobbled walkway disintegrated into nothing. Molecule by molecule matter deteriorated, racing towards it's end state as nothing. People started screaming but their voices were silenced as they went from various points of life till they were a few strands of hair and bone dust.

_Souls_, the dragon hissed as each lifeform that rotted into nothing fed the magic. Fed the dragon.

This is what it was like to be God, to have command over the unyielding force of death. The raw capability to summon and carry that in which cannot be stopped. That in which all shall meet. For in death there is no status, no beauty, nothing but the end of all things. He was God Serena and in this moment as his shroud blanketed over the run-down part of the city he began to smile.

It was not a normal smile of happiness. It was one of satisfaction. Of accepting himself and the power of the dragon at the forefront. The glory of the madness that kept him walking as everything turned to dust. Ahead he could see the bright lights of the glittery city. Where the beautiful and powerful lived.

Powerful?

Did Bosco even have guilds like Fiore? Did they have anything that wasn't plastic or made up? Well they had these unwashed and forgotten masses. These small sheep lined up and comfortable for the slaughter to his greatness. They were ugly in life but in death they were gorgeous. They were now part of the Death Dragon, part of God Serena and slowly the dragon would absorb the power as it slept again.

Against the stone and metal wall that separated the parts of the city were more humans. Some old. Some young, young enough to be bundled in a small pink blanket screaming as a young thin woman held it. They cried in their foreign language, the wailing grated on his sensitive hearing. The scared weaklings hugged each other, and some stood up with their bony hands out, trying to stop him from tearing down the wall. From becoming one with the death inside of him.

A child screamed and then it screamed no more.

* * *

_I promise you all won't have to wait very long for the last chapter. A good part of it was written when I decided to split it into 2._

_As a note, I based Bosco on a mashup of various places from Hollywood to Rio de Janeiro to Mexico City. Much like Serena's mind the city is split, it just had a way of reinforcing overall feeling of his divided madness. Cause themes._

_As always review, fave and follow!_


	4. Sanity's Requiem

Hiro Mashima owns Fairy Tail. Final chapter, buckle in, it's a rollercoaster of bannable offenses!

* * *

Lucy was sitting at a beautiful outdoor café enjoying the warm sun and an excellent espresso. She had taken a much-needed vacation to Grande de Sol, the capital of Bosco. It was on her travel wish list to come and see Halycon Studios, where her favorite lacrima series, _Celestine Corporation,_ was made. Tomorrow she was going on a studio tour and she couldn't wait!

Tonight, she planned on checking out some of the nightclubs, maybe dance the night away with someone cute. Goddess knew there was plenty of cute going on around here. She just needed to first stop thinking about Serena and how much she missed him.

Her heart was feeling every ounce of his betrayal and it still wanted to see him and ask him directly why. Their last conversation ended abruptly with Lucy screaming through her tears and hanging up the communication lacrima. To this day she wasn't exactly certain of what she said but it might have involved goats and his ass.

Lucy was wrapped up in her thoughts as she looked into her white plain cup, noticing how there were only just a few coffee bits at the bottom of it. She raised her little cup in the air for the waiter's attention. That was when she noticed something odd, people were all standing up and gathered near the lacrimavision mounted on the wall. Curiosity being her friend, Lucy got up and walked over to the small group.

As she looked up at the screen to read the moving news ticker, sirens went off all around the area. The people in the café started screaming and running for the doors. Lucy was knocked down and she let out a cry when her chin hit the cement patio. Before she could complain, she rolled out of the way before someone stepped on her.

It was chaos and when it was clear she slowly stood up and cautiously headed inside the café. A couple people were still inside, someone was shouting for her to get down. Lucy crept low, careful of broken ceramic and glass as small wooden tables and chairs were knocked all over the place. She got behind the counter and knelt on the black rubber mat behind it.

"What's going on?" she asked.

"Death, black magic," a frightened older woman said as she held a string of black beads in her hands. Lucy knew they were a very common religious items for the prevailing religion of the nation and couldn't fault anyone for turning to their deity when scared.

"Black magic," Lucy repeated, "you mean like a dark wizard?" The woman nodded as she kissed her beads and pressed them to her head in a prayer gesture. Lucy gave her a smile, "I'm sure a Guild or two could handle it. My Guild in Fiore handles them all the time."

"Good luck with that," a smarmy voice said behind her and Lucy looked over her shoulder. The guy had thick glasses and unruly curly brown hair that puffed out more than Lucy knew was possible. He leaned back and lit a cigarette, the older woman started praying more, her whispers mixed with tears.

"What do you mean?"

He took a drag, "the guilds in Bosco are for show, they don't fight anything. Forget military and the police are usually too busy posing for pictures to arrest a damn person. Least here, on the other side of the wall, big difference."

"Oh, that's odd."

"Welcome to Grande de Sol," he said as he opened up the fridge and pulled out two local beers.

"What do we do?" Lucy asked as she shook her head at the offered beer.

The young man shrugged, "die probably. Unless you some kind of super hero or some shit." He started chugging his beer and Lucy sighed, this was not how her vacation was supposed to go. Not at all. There were people dying and even if she just became casualty number 41,969,861, she had to do something.

Lucy stood up and looked down at the guy as he let out a pretty solid burb and opened up another can. "Where I'm from, we kick ass without being super heroes. Just heroes."

"Heh, your funeral."

She didn't roll her eyes, though was totally tempted to. Instead Lucy took in a breath, rolled her shoulders back and started to leave the café. Each step made her heart thump in her chest as she put her hand on her keys, feeling a bit better to have them. Lucy got to the front door of the café and took in a deep breath before she pushed on the brass plate.

Outside the streets were a mess of people all running in the same direction and Lucy knew that meant she had to go the opposite way. Fighting through all those people would not be ideal and so Lucy slipped back inside the café. "Hey, how do you get to the roof?"

"Stairs in the back, but it ain't high enough to jump off. If that's your plan." Mr. Delightful said and now Lucy rolled her eyes.

"Thanks," she murmured as she started heading for the back. She went through a narrow wooden hallway to get to the stairs and got to the roof.

Lucy shielded the sun from her eyes as she scanned the area, seeing a wave of people all moving past her. As she turned around, she noticed something, the outer part of the city was just gone. No more small houses piled on each other or kids jumping from metal roof to metal roof. A sea of colorful little buildings and people, just gone as if it was never built. That couldn't be right. What kind of magic does that?

As she tried to gather her thoughts and consider the problem she would have to face, the crowd started screaming. The panic was high before, but Lucy knew that sound coming from the people, pure terror. Lucy swallowed hard and balled her fists as she tried to focus in on what they were desperately running from. Whatever it was, it was either too small or too far away. She would need to get closer.

Lucy started moving, jumping rooftops will relative ease, grateful that most buildings were roughly the same height and all her years of keeping up with her teammates. She tracked the crowd, stopping on occasion to get her bearings and plot her next jump. After this she wasn't doing cardio for a week.

She stood on a flat tar paper rooftop, hating the sun as it burned on her exposed skin. As she looked below, she didn't see people and taking the chance, she got to a fire escape and climbed down the rusty metal stairs. Her only concern was not cutting herself on the metal and getting an infection, which would be all the suck and just add to her troubles.

Lucy got to the alley, grateful for the shade between the two glass and stone buildings. She pressed her back up against a window, enjoying its coolness as she caught her breath. All she could hear was her own breathing and erratic heartbeat, everything else was silence. It was eerie, not even the small song birds, native to the area were singing. This was a horrendous sign.

A scream punctured the air and she swallowed hard to gather her courage. Lucy grabbed her keys and called out for Loke, if anything she was going to need backup and the lion spirit was her best partner. He appeared in a shower of golden sparkles and bowed to her.

"Princess," he said as he looked around him and pushed up his sunglasses.

Lucy let out a breath, "Loke, not gonna lie. I don't know if we can handle this on our own. Whatever is coming this way already completely destroyed a good section of the city and killed thousands."

He pursed his lips and clenched his hand, "I have to protect you at all costs. Even if I have to cheat to do it."

"There are millions of people in this city, we have to do something. We are still Fairy Tail." She said, the conviction in her voice strengthening it. Lucy was absolutely willing to die to protect other people, to do what she must for those around her.

Loke put a warm hand on her shoulder and curled his fingers under her chin, she met his eyes as he took off his glasses. She knew that look, the tightening of his jaw, the way he narrowed his eyes slightly and the rigidness of his shoulders as he stood ramrod straight. "You are still my keyholder, I will keep you safe."

Lucy put her thin hand over his and smiled at him, "I know. Let's go see what we are up against."

He didn't move, "it would suck but if you must, break my key next." He pressed his forehead against hers for a moment before he placed a kiss to it, "promise me."

She froze, her body trembling as she thought of Aquarius. A wayward tear ran down her cheek, "don't, ask me to do that."

"Promise me, I will see you again. Just whatever it takes to keep you and these people safe." His voice was gentle, laced with a touch of sadness, this was his goodbye and Lucy knew it. Loke kissed her forehead again, "I love you."

"I know," she said as the lion stepped back and chuckled. It had become their favorite little inside joke ever since they watched a space opera together and the male lead used the line when the princess confessed to him. If this was the last thing, they said to each other, it would be alright.

Lucy cracked her whip, pulled her shoulders back and Loke a short nod. He led the way out of the shaded alley, as they started heading towards the source of all the destruction. Least she hoped this was the right way but then again, she had no idea exactly what she was fighting.

Paper cups, debris, abandoned SE Vehicles, and other items like dropped shopping bags littered the street, just a subtle reminder that there were people all in a panic and trying to survive. It was strange to see this major avenue so silent, just an hour ago it was filled with people and vehicles blaring music and horns at each other. She even noticed an abandoned news camera cracked and broken against the white concrete sidewalk. Though she was technically hot from all her running and the higher temperature here, she was still trembling in her own nerves.

Another scream and Lucy and Loke took off towards the direction of the sound. They jumped on top of vehicles, clearing long distances quicker than just walking around the messes. Together they stopped at a major intersection and heard another sharp cry of pain, Loke pointed towards the East and Lucy nodded.

As they came down the side avenue, she started to notice that there was blood everywhere and it was getting thicker as they ran down this way. It was splattered all over the buildings, permanently staining the white plaster and some of them looked like people shapes. The metallic scent was heavy in the air as it cooked under the midday sun, she put her arm over her nose as Loke pressed his handkerchief to his.

"What the fuck?" she whispered, having never seen anything like this. Not even in some of the horror movies she liked to laugh at for kicks.

More screams and Loke speared into her, knocking her against a large truck that started clucking when it shook. The chickens inside were obviously scared and Lucy couldn't blame them, she wanted to scream too as she saw a large lump of something fly by them.

Loke put his hands on her waist and jumped to the top of the chicken truck. They scanned further down the road and Lucy almost lost her lunch. More blood and pale bodies baking in the sun littered the area but what got her was the fact that it was one person covered completely in blood, slowly walking towards them.

It was straight out of her nightmares, as another stranded person tried to make a run for it. The blood walker just pointed fingers at the person and all their blood started pouring out of every orifice they had. When the eyeballs popped straight out and bounced a few times on the road, Lucy started dry heaving. Loke rubbed her back, "we should run."

The blood stolen from the person went splattering against the creature who absorbed it, growing a little taller. The rest of it only added to the gory scene all around her. Those poor people, how much did they suffer and how quickly did they die? What was that creature?

"We can't," she managed.

"Then I'll go first, no blood," Loke said and she nodded.

"You distract it…" she started going through a plan when she heard a cruel voice.

"Mate," it said and both her and Loke whipped their heads around only to notice that the blood thing had stopped a few yards away from them.

The blood began to move, it danced around the figure almost like the Whirling Dervishes of Minstrel. Sections of the red liquid pulled away from the person, spinning around it and splattering drops everywhere. Lucy felt the warm crimson splash against her face, and she wiped her cheek with the back of her hand, sickened to see an innocent's blood on her. This mage, she was certain it was a mage, was a real-life psycho.

Loke dotted his tiger stripped handkerchief to her cheeks as she kept an eye on the disgusting show. There was a small flash of power and all the blood was gone, no longer in its macabre ballet around the mage, instead all that was left…

"N-no…" she whispered as she looked upon Serena. His hair was wild around his shoulders as his clothing was pristine, not a bit of red staining anywhere. His eyes were eerily red instead of their usual blue and he held a soft smile to his face, it was creepy.

"Lucy," he said, as he held out his hand and slowly walked towards her.

"No!" she shouted as she jumped off the truck, landing in a small puddle of blood. Lucy ignored it as she prepared to fight the man she loved, finally seeing the madness at its height.

"Stop!" he shouted, the boom of his voice rattling buildings and forcing Lucy to cover her ears as pain exploded in her head from the loudness. She sniffled as the ringing in her ears grew intensely, the pain was overwhelming her senses.

Lucy didn't see what happened as she tried to fight through the disorientation of her ear drums being slaughtered but she felt it when Loke went back to the Celestial Realm. Now she was alone, and she tried to stand up and handle the monster, but the world was tilting before her. The damage done she could not hear and the vertigo plus the gruesome freakshow of blood had her ready to throw up.

Serena grabbed her and forced his soft lips upon her, she tried to fight back as he kissed her. Yet he held her so tight, that even with the extra power she felt from the Stardress she could not move. Instead she tried to shake her head and pursed her lips, denying him.

He stopped and she looked at him as he mouthed many things to her before he started shaking her. Serena started screaming but she couldn't hear him instead all she could say, "I'm deaf you fucking idiot!"

Serena stopped and let her go as he took her keys off her waist. Lucy tried to lunge for him, but she wound up falling face first into the blood-soaked asphalt as he sidestepped out of the way. She rolled to her back as he grabbed one of her keys and threw away the rest of the ring. She cried out as tears ran down her face. All her beloved spirits.

He knelt next to her and put a key in her hand, she looked at it. Gemini. Not knowing what else to do as he cupped her cheek and smiled at her, she summoned the spirit.

* * *

God Serena didn't know what else to do, they would never hurt Lucy and why was she here? The dragons had quickly quieted when in her presence, Blood and Death both going back to sleep, enjoying the souls and life energy they had collected from their elements. His mind was peaceful now as he looked at her. Even covered in blood and sweat, she was still the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.

The small twin spirit came out of it's gate, he looked at it, "turn into Wendy, her ear drums have exploded."

"Piri?" one of them said.

"Please, turn into Wendy," Lucy said, as she winced. God Serena lifted his shirt and tore off a strip from the bottom, wiping away the blood that was leaking out of her ear. She shouldn't be so dirty, shouldn't be covered in this grime. She was the Goddess to his God and though she hurt him, he couldn't stop the feeling of his heart as he held her.

The spirit did as asked and he looked at the small Wind Slayer who applied healing magic to Lucy's head. He watched the magic race all over her body as it healed her and cleaned up the blood that tried to stain her beautiful skin. When it finished, God Serena expected Lucy to order it to attack him but instead she simply thanked it and sent it back home.

God Serena sat on his booted heels as he held her, placing kisses to the top of her head. It didn't last long as she wiggled herself free of his hold, enough to throw a Regulus Punch straight into his stomach. He wasn't prepared for the strike and felt all the air in his body explode out of him as his abdomen hurt from the impact. Lucy rolled backwards, recovering herself in blood as she stood up. Her eyes were filled with hate as she glared at him.

"Why? How could you?" she asked, the conviction in her voice hurting his very soul.

"T-they… you…" he managed between trying to capture fresh breath. His senses picking up all the blood and decomposing bodies cooking on the black road under the glaring sun.

Lucy grabbed his hair and wrenched on his head, "I don't understand." Her face was hard, ready to kill him in an instant as she wound his longer orange locks around her small hand.

"Two of my dragons, Blood and Death, they had to feed. I released them here before I get to Fiore to find you. We would never hurt you." He said, keeping his voice soft, hoping to soothe back the hatred she had every right to feel.

He was finally lucid as he looked at her face, hating the crimson liquid plastered to her hair and running down her pale skin and black dress. Lucy should never be covered in gore, he shouldn't see her in the middle of his carnage, the middle of his madness. She was the eye of the storm, the calming center of all the swirling insanity around and within him. His light, his beacon, and his hope for a sane future.

"You killed thousands," she pulled on his hair, "you are one sick motherfucker." Her voice was low, almost growling as a fire burned behind her brown eyes. Power danced all long her skin, he could feel her heightened strength and felt small to her, as was his place when confronted with his mate.

"I am, my mind was destroyed years ago. You were my only salvation along with DARE," he said, and she tilted her head to the side. He licked his dry lips and struggled with his words, "DARE is my medication regimen, around you I didn't need it. Around you, the voices stopped. You were healing me and then…" he choked up as he could still hear her shouting at him that she never wanted to see him again.

For the first time in years, tears flowed down his face as his lip quivered. Every death he caused he could feel, her anger and hatred swept over his very soul. God Serena felt as if he was drowning in the salty liquid that came out in waves down his face, pooling into his ears and flowing to his shoulders. "L-Lucy, I'm so sorry," he started babbling as she stood there.

His eyes closed shut and before he knew it, his head was pressed into her soft chest. Lucy let go of his hair and started slowly petting him as he broke apart and cried all over her. He hugged her small waist, clenching on to her as if he would melt away into nothing without feeling her. God Serena muffled more apologies against her breast. Apologies for scaring her. Apologies for the destruction. Apologies for the dead.

"I'm sorry too, if I could go back, I would have mated you sooner and kept you whole," she confessed before kissing the top of his head. God Serena only cried harder to hear her words and held her tighter, to the point she started tapping on his head asking for air.

He let go of her and let his arms go limp as he used her for balance, keeping his head against her chest and listening to her heartbeat. "Another dragon slayer explained it to me. The day in the diner I thought you were being dramatic, I had no idea that mate rejection was a literal poison to the dragon slayer."

God Serena nodded, "and with my history and eight of them…"

Lucy grabbed his chin and tilted his head up, "why didn't you tell me about the medications or fully explain the mating?"

"I-I couldn't, do you know how traumatic it is to be the most powerful Wizard Saint and admit I'm a lunatic?"

She stroked his wet cheek with the back of her hand, "and this isn't traumatic? Look what you did. How often do you feed the dragons, how many have you killed?"

God Serena gulped as he looked at her, seeing her own tears silently slip from her eyes. "I don't know. Usually I find a Vulcan pack or a dark guild. I've never hurt innocents before, I've never…"

"Had a break down?" she asked.

He shook his head, "when I was a kid, I had one and then again after all the dragons were implanted. They overwhelmed me, I don't remember much, only that I was the only survivor before the man I called father, found me. He took me in, healed me, and got me started on the medication before he died, activating the Death dragon for the first time."

God Serena could still the old man lying in the hospital bed, hooked up to various IVs. His hair falling out all over the paper covered pillow and his skin thin and ashy against his bones. He could still smell the disease in the air, the cleaning chemicals and hear the shallow breaths over the beeping machines. Yet the old man, held his hand and smiled at him, telling him that he loved him and saying goodbye to his little boy. Even then he didn't cry, today he finally broke down enough in front of Lucy to let it out.

She cradled him in her arms, his sensitive hearing could hear people shouting. They were looking for him and Lucy was not safe. He would need to protect her and run from here, be free. "Lucy, we have to go, come with us. Please."

Lucy stepped back from him and shook her head as she crossed her arms over her chest. "No, you have to pay for this crime. I will stay by your side, but you have to face justice. I can't forgive you for this. I can sympathize but, it's too much."

"You just said you would mate me if we could do this all over again." He stood up and crossed to her, she didn't move, even as he took her hand and kissed it. "Did you mean it?"

"We can't though, and I don't trust you with those vile dragons inside of you."

"If we could, did you mean it?" he asked, a bit of panic lacing his voice as he estimated that the authorities were perhaps a mile out, moving slowly. He had maybe ten minutes, it would barely be enough time.

Lucy looked down, grimaced at the blood on the ground and let out a heavy breath before meeting his gaze. "I meant it."

"Hold out your hands," he said, and she looked at him quizzically before doing as he asked.

_No!_ The two dragons protested.

_You can't!_ Blood said, panicked as God Serena concentrated on where the lacrima was in his body.

Death growled, _we are one! _

_Not anymore_, he replied as he used a bit of blood magic for the last time, forcing it out of the overly fed dragon magic. He felt as if his blood had turned into straight lava as it moved slowly through his body, grabbing the two lacrima that were hiding inside his chest. God Serena moved them carefully to not hit his major organs before he sent them up his throat. The dragons screamed along the journey, both trying to fight him. He felt the magic slip and the crystals dropped into his stomach.

"This will be disturbing, move your hands," he said, and Lucy stepped back as he bent over and shoved his fingers down his throat. The bile and crystals burned and tore at his throat as he managed to throw up all over the ground. A mixture of blood, stomach acid and a half-digested bit of fruit, splattered all over the ground. In the disgusting mixture was one black and one red crystal.

He looked at Lucy before he stepped forward, shattering the crystals under his black boot. Lucy covered her mouth and he felt faint, feeling sweat pool up on his forehead as his body started shaking and weakening. "I can only do the next trick once, ready?"

"W-what are you doing?" she asked.

"Last dragon, Time. I am taking us back in time to do this again, without those two dragons."

Lucy's eyes widened, "y-you can do that?"

He nodded, "once, so you have to mean it. I can send us back in time to try again."

"The people you killed? Fairy Tail?"

"Alive and still a guild, we will know about these events until we catch back up to the present. So, you'll have to keep two time streams straight in your head for a year," he said, hoping he was getting the mechanics of this correct. It was the one dragon he had never thought to use on himself. He had used it before to handle different opponents by flinging them through time just to be rid of them.

"Serena…" she whispered, and he could tell she was hesitating.

"Lucy, you over think everything, take a chance, damnit." He put his hands on her shoulders as he felt the world spin a bit, his body weakening, and he didn't know how much longer he could hold out. "Do this for Fairy Tail, do this to reverse all the damage caused. Do this because you love me, and I love you. This is the only second chance we will ever have," he said.

She looked at him and smiled, "I do love you and you're right I should have taken a chance months ago. Especially when I knew I loved you. I just got scared, you're a bit much."

God Serena smiled, as best he could, "well what fun would I be if I wasn't so very extra?" Lucy laughed as she stepped closer to him, her bare arms wrapping around his waist. God Serena felt the remaining dragons purr in satisfaction and his heart felt whole.

"Let's go," she said, and he leaned down to kiss her perfect mouth as he activated the Time magic.

God Serena had never time traveled before and so he wasn't inclined to pay attention as they kissed each other. The soft contours of her body pressed up against his as their tongues moved in a familiar dance. Her kisses were everything to him and he blocked out the sounds and feeling of racing back in time. Though he could feel the sensations of temperature changes and hear snippets of memories from their time together. Little jokes and conversations, moans of pleasure and spirited debates over plays they had seen together.

He felt a spike in power and held her close, feeling the disorientation of going from full movement to a quick stop. God Serena opened his eyes and looked around, he recognized this scene, it was their first date. They were sitting on the edge of the pool, watching the sunrise with their legs in the water. Right before their first kiss.

"Our first meeting," she whispered. He noticed she was dressed up exactly how he remembered that day and was relieved to not see her coated in someone's blood anymore. This was a little side effect of the magic he didn't know about and was grateful for it. She searched her little purse and beamed at him, briefly showing her whole key ring and setting it back down.

"Before our first kiss," he said as he gently touched her shoulder.

"This is so odd, it's like the most messed up déjà vu in history."

God Serena leaned over and kissed her shoulder, "it's temporary, I promise. As we realign to time, the previous time stream will fade from memory."

Her face brightened as she grabbed his hands, giving them a gentle squeeze. "So, everything is?"

"I'm short two dragons, but yes everything is ready for us to get right this time," he replied as he kissed the side of her neck. Lucy let go of his hands and leaned back, God Serena was puzzled for a moment.

"Those horrors…." Her voice trailed off.

"Haven't happened, if you keep to your word and we do this right this time, they will never happen." She closed her eyes and shivered for a moment as he wrapped his arms around her. All he could now was let her process and realize that yes, all of it will one day fade completely from memory and that without the dragons, he was no longer a monster.

They sat there for a while, the memory of their first kiss completely lost to time as this moment took hold. There was something freeing about that and it also reminded him, that despite the booze in his system, he had a part to play in resetting their time streams. God Serena let go of her and tilted to the side as he dug into his pocket. He pulled out a clear small case and showed it to her, "time for my medications."

"Instead of our first kiss you're going to pop your pills?" she asked.

He flipped open the top and quickly down the four different colored and shaped pills, swallowing and scrunching his nose at the taste. God Serena opened his mouth, showing her, they were gone, "yes. I'm going to be better about this, I want to do this right Lucy. I love you."

Lucy nibbled her bottom lip as she started to rise from the pool, kicking a bit of water in the air. She held out her hand to him and he took it, coming up to his bare wet feet before her. "Then, let's not waste more time, room 510, has a very nice bed."

God Serena arched a brow and playfully smiled at her, "oh, does it now? What are you thinking, my little minx?"

"Something with less clothes and more action." She winked at him before she grabbed her shoes and started to wobble a little, he chuckled.

"Drunken mating sex?" he teased as he grabbed his own shoes, knowing he had maybe an hour before he'd start feeling the meds.

"Sounds appropriate, least then we can stay ahead of your issues," she shrugged as she took out the hotel card from her little purse.

"Oh, is that the only reason?"

Lucy chuckled, "well, you might also be the best sex of my life, so there's that." She turned, slowly and started walking, God Serena shook his head and moved to keep up with her. He got beside her as he put an arm over her shoulders and she slipped her hand into the back pocket of his navy pants, giving his butt a squeeze.

In the spirit of the playfulness as they walked back inside the hotel, leaving the pool area and the first kiss memory behind them. "Might be? Come on, seriously."

"You might have to remind me, it's been a while and technically, I don't sleep with you for the first time for a few days yet."

"This is true, I concede to your logic," he said as they walked through the white themed lobby towards the elevators. As they got into the light wood and gold elevator, she pressed the button for the fifth floor before he pushed her against the far wall and captured her in a kiss. The memory of carrying her up the stairs was dissipating, replaced with their first kiss in the slow-moving elevator with crappy soft pop tunes playing in it.

As the chime hit, they pulled apart as Lucy pulled him with her towards her room. God Serena felt his heart leap as the remaining dragons all started celebrating, their happiness radiating from him and soothing his mind. This was the way things should have always been and finally he was going to get the mate they desperately needed. The completion of their souls, the only person who could soothe them and give strength just by being her perfect little self.

They got into her room and he was impressed with the nice little suite, it had a private balcony and hot tub, beautiful modern furniture and as Lucy took him down the small hallway, he looked at the pristine white bed. She spun around and threw her sandals off to the side as she walked backwards towards the bed.

"Not as fancy as our first time," she said.

"Oh, don't worry, I'll be doing that little memory again, this time, think I'll at least dance with you first and show you off." He said as he unbuttoned his white silk shirt and let it fall to the ground. God Serena stalked toward hers, noticing how she blushed, and her breath hitched as he reached out for her.

He already had a year of knowing all her little reactions, what she liked and how wonderful she felt when he made love to her. Though this time was special, it was their new first and this time he would mate her, start a fresh year off right.

"Can't wait," she said as she curled her fingers into his belt loops and pulled him close to her, his pelvis pressed against her stomach.

"Lucy, I'm going to mate you, do you agree?" he asked, making sure he did this right.

"Serena, shut up and mate me already, drama whore," she teased as he laughed before kissing her again.

His hands raced down her back as he pulled on the zipper and she pulled at the tie around her neck before the pale blue dress slipped off her curves. She was only in her nude lace panties as she pulled on his belt, the black leather coming out of the silver buckle. Lucy undid his pants and with a gently push they pooled at his bare feet, now he stood there in his little heart patterned boxer briefs.

Lucy giggled, "you and your boxers."

"I fully expect you to repurchase all the ones you found me for gag gifts." He kissed her as he picked her up, her long legs wrapped around his waist as he got up on the bed. God Serena could feel the alcohol and the meds starting to play with him, making him feel light headed and he tried to force of will his way through it.

He settled on top of her, his erection pressing against her heated core as her nails gripped into his shoulders. Their kiss broke as he hurriedly started making his way down her body kissing every bit of her along the way. In his haste he ripped apart her panties, despite her gasp and demand he replace those.

God Serena mumbled a "yes dear," against her damp curls and inhaled her fragrance. Now that he knew her body so well, he realized that their first date she had been wet for a while. The realization made him grin as he pushed his hands against her thighs and opened her up a little more for him.

The beauty of this was the fact he knew exactly how to tease her, how to make her scream. There was no more guess work and so he moved his tongue back and forth against her pearl, knowing she derived great pleasure from the quick work. He also roughly shoved in two of his fingers as her back arched and she pulled his hair moaning his name. Oh, he knew his mate and got to play with her in a way that was going to make this new first time, epic.

God Serena feasted and toyed with her, her body withering under him as she panted and begged. "Magic word?"

"Oh G-God," she moaned and with that he stopped teasing her and sucked on her pearl as his fingers curled against her secret spot. Lucy pulsed as her body milked his fingers and he ground his hips into the bed, desperate for friction.

God Serena sat up and shredded his boxers before he grabbed her ankle and rolled her over. He knew Lucy liked it a little rough and loved it when he took her from behind. His hardened cock in his hand he stared at the beauty of her naked and shivering from the high of her orgasm.

Slowly he started to enter her as she clawed for one of the white and gold decorative pillows on the bed. The feeling of her was never enough for him as he enjoyed pushing into her folds, wrapping himself inside of her. Lucy moaned and panted as he filled her, every time she was like this, needing a moment to stretch to adjust to his cock.

He brushed her hair off her shoulder as he leaned over and kissed her shoulder. "Lucy," he whispered, and his response was her hips moved a little as she squirmed. God Serena held her hips as he started moving, almost pulling fully out before slamming back into her. She moaned and cried as he pistoned into her, all his needs and feelings coming out as he took her in the center of the hotel bed.

He felt the magic gather around him as fangs started to grow, the desire to bite upon him. The magic playing as nature designed. "L-Lucy, do you want to be my mate?"

"G-God, yes! Yes!" she started chanting as he moved faster, the sound of skin slapping bouncing around the room in tempo to the headboard cracking against the wall. The painting above the bed started rattling, the gold frame glinting in the light as the small ocean landscape seemed to move.

God Serena pulled out and flipped her to her back as he hooked her legs over his arms and entered her. They kissed as he moved, he was trying to be careful of the fangs, but her tongue caught one and he could taste a bit of her blood. The dragons roared in excitement as he broke the kiss and bit the junction where neck meets the shoulder.

As his fangs penetrated her skin she shouted as she came again for him, the feeling of everything wrapping around him as the mating bond started to form. He followed her off the cliff of desire and orgasmed into her completing the magic, the sharing of passion and the bite that would imprint his dragons into her. His skin felt hot has he moved slowly, riding out the multitudes of euphoria that crashed over his body.

The room filled with their combined magics in a shower of light and sparkles. The patterns forming on their skin, marking them as a bonded dragon pair for the rest of their lives. God Serena tried to watch as his mark formed on her, it started around her neck, a collection of various jewels in the colors that best represented his lacrima, creating the most exquisite collar. It came down her shoulders, making her look as if he dumped her in jewels and gold and let them scatter across her torso. In the center of the magnificent collar was a heart, it was half black and half red with a golden key in the center. A reminder of the dragons he gave up to have her.

He took in a deep breath as he felt his back heat up and he ran his fingers over his lower spine and pouted. Lucy looked up at him, her eyes half lidded with a look of pure satisfaction on her beautiful face. "What?" she asked as she sat up and took his hands.

"Are you kidding me?" he asked as he started turning around. Lucy started giggling and he hung his head in shame.

"Yeah, you have a tramp stamp," she laughed even harder and God Serena realized this was truly the way life with her worked.

It appeared that life, may have been just as crazy as he was. Though he wouldn't dare to say that out loud to his giggling mate.

* * *

_One year later…_

* * *

"Ready Luce?" Natsu asked as he pulled on his red bow tie. Lucy shook her head and picked up the massive red rose and white lily bouquet as Cana fidgeted with the train of her lace and silk wedding dress.

Since their restart, this past year had been the happiest and most confusing of Lucy's life. It was quite a bit of adjustment as the two timelines battled in her head and today, though she would relive the blood and death of Grande de Sol, it would fade away to be replaced with their wedding. It was his idea to take something so painful and erase it with a grand ceremony. Though mated, Lucy still wanted a real wedding and he happily gave it to her.

They were getting married at the palace, a special gift because Serena had turned on Alvarez and helped Fiore and Bosco strengthen their defenses in preparation. Though everyone knew this would only delay the massive empire's plans, it was enough to let them have this special day.

Everything had clicked into place for them and not once did she regret the decision to mate him at their first meeting. After today there would only be this timeline in her head and from here on out the future was uncertain, but she had faith that with her mate it would be filled with love and laughs.

The grand oak doors opened as music played, the violins singing beautifully as everyone stood up to watch her walk down the aisle on the arm of her best friend. Lucy's heart leapt as she saw Serena waiting for her at the end of the decorated grand hall. His hair was down, and he was dressed in a beautiful blue-black tuxedo with a gold bow tie and a white lily boutonniere.

As she approached with Natsu he squeezed her hand before placing it in Serena's. Natsu leaned over and whispered to Serena, her mate's eyes going wide before he started chuckling. As Lucy looked at him, he shook his head and leaned over.

"He said I better get it right cause he won't grant me a second chance," Serena whispered before he kissed her ear and stood back up again. Lucy couldn't help but laugh, if only Natsu truly understood what he said.

When the ceremony was finished and she was officially and legally his wife, they looked at each other and let out a small breath of relief. The last memories of Grand de Sol had disappeared for both and Lucy felt finally free. Judging by the way her dramatic mate and husband picked her up in a flourish to carry her down the aisle, grinning like the insane man he is, he was feeling just as free.

Now to God Serena and Lucy the future was uncertain, but they were ready to handle it together.

Fin.

* * *

_Phew! There you have it, a completely different telling of God Serena's story arc before Alvarez. _

_Thank you to everyone who has reviewed, faved and follow. If you enjoyed this story please review and favorite, they mean a lot to me and my work._

_Before I get asked again, I am not reposting or rewriting any of my previous works that were killed by Cult of Unoriginal Narcissistic Trolls via admin. It just seemed like a waste of time to do it and for what reason? You've already read them, and they are available elsewhere and it's a bunch of work, so why not get new stories instead? Life moves on and let's keep going till the banning._

_Thank you!_


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